Even if you’re snowbound, you can dream about the gardening days to come. Freshly harvested tomatoes, lettuce…and more. What we grow in school, home and community gardens can improve our health, and the health of our families and communities. What we grow can increase the resiliency of food systems in our communities. And what we grow, ultimately, can connect us more closely with the earth that sustains us. There are valuable lessons in gardening…too many to list here.
Even if you live in a small apartment, you can grow food. If you have a yard, you can grow quite a lot of food. View the transformation of a front yard in an urban area…from lawn to lush, productive food garden in only 60 days. You’ll love the progression photos, and the simple explanation about how the garden came together.
Need a more specific garden plan? Kitchen Gardeners International (KGI), a non-profit organization based in Maine, may be able to help. Its founder, Roger Doiron, created and led the social media campaign that called for a garden at the White House. This campaign ultimately led First Lady Michelle Obama to plant a vegetable garden at the White House. (And it may have also inspired the People’s Garden at the USDA, which broke ground on Lincoln’s birthday six years ago. Lincoln referred to the USDA as the “People’s Department,” so it makes sense that the USDA would refer to its organic garden as the “People’s Garden.”)
Roger Doiron talks a bit about his (subversive) garden plot in a remarkable TedX talk. KGI has terrific resources on their website for aspiring gardeners, including this kitchen garden planning guide.
Did you know that the University of California has more than 5,000 certified Master Gardeners in counties throughout the state? The UC Master Gardener program stands by ready to assist if you live in California. UC has created a California Garden Web portal that provides a treasure trove of gardening resources for all parts of the state. There are more than 5,000 certified UC Master Gardeners serving residents in counties throughout California.
If you’re interested in school gardens, read this brief history, written by the UC Food Observer.