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“When all the chores are done, the avid gardener will invent some new
ones.” Michael P. Garofalo |
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Creating a school garden is pretty straight
forward but there is no on-size-fits all plan for creating a
school garden program. We will not water down the information
here to make it fit everyone. We speak only from our own
experience.
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Get the
e-mail address of everyone you talk to about the project
and send out regular updates to keep them in the loop
and don't forget social networking opportunities like Facebook and
Twitter to connect as well as traditional networking.
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The best way to get
people on board is to show them rather then tell them. Use
our website to give them a picture of what you have in mind;
better yet, come for a visit.
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If you are a
parent, talk with the teachers you know (begin with your child’s
teachers including ones they had in the past) and
tell them what you have in mind. Ask
them what challenges they might foresee. At the same
time, start to develop a team of parents.
It is usually better to approach a few key people you want on
your team and get them on board before sending out a general
call.
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Take
photographs of all of the areas around your school where it
might be possible to locate a garden. Instead
of asking for suggestions of where to put a garden, ask “Which
would be the worst locations for a garden?” “What concerns would
you have regarding a garden project on school grounds?”
Ask you teacher contacts and the janitors/grounds people before
presenting you idea to the administrators. This will give
you the opportunity to address their concerns about these issues
in advance.
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The “best”
location from the program perspective will be in full sun, with
water nearby and right out front where everyone can see it.
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If you can’t
do anything else, dig a hole and plant a seed. A couple of
sunflowers will get everyone’s attention.
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Do not let the fact that
you cannot do it perfectly this year, keep you from starting.
Do what you can now and do better next year.
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Even as you are
just getting started, it's time to think about the future.
Who will be the force behind the project once you move on?
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