From Gccgi08

Contents 1 Grand Crossing Community Gardening Initiative: Starting your own Community Garden (in Chicago) 1.1 Organization: Starting points and examples for starting and running a community garden 1.1.1 The American Community Gardening Association 1.1.2 Openlands 1.1.3 Water 1.2 To Consider Before Planting 1.2.1 Soil Preparation 1.2.2 Choosing the Crops 1.2.2.1 Online Resources for Plant Growing Information 1.2.3 Layout of the Garden 1.2.4 Pest Management 1.3 Tips from a Chicago Community Gardener 1.4 Vegetable Guide 1.4.1 Tomatoes 1.4.2 Lettuce 1.4.3 Broccoli 1.4.4 Carrots 1.4.5 Potatoes 1.4.6 Cucumbers 1.5 Resources 1.6 Making Children a Part of Your Garden 1.6.1 Gardening with Kids 1.6.2 Ten Tips for Gardening with Kids 1.6.3 Cross-Discipline Learning

[edit] Grand Crossing Community Gardening Initiative: Starting your own Community Garden (in Chicago)

[edit] Organization: Starting points and examples for starting and running a community garden

[edit] The American Community Gardening Association

http://www.communitygarden.org
American Community Garden Association:
1777 East Broad Street
Columbus, Ohio 43203-2040 USA
info@communitygarden.org

Provides great general information on starting a community garden, organizing the community, dealing with problems before they occur, and just about all the ideas a new gardener could want. Registering with the American Community Gardening Association will also provide access to news on certain grants and funding as they become available, as well as leadership training opportunities. All in all an outstanding resource.

• Their “Starting a Community Garden” section is especially useful and a great place to start:
       http://www.communitygarden.org/learn/starting-a-community-garden.php
  
• The Tools section of the website is especially useful, with many different start-up guides and samples of necessary paper work for making your garden run smoothly:
       http://www.communitygarden.org/learn/tools.php
  
• Sample registration, rules, and waivers:
  1. Registration (a little more in-depth, with rules, etc.):
       www1.indstate.edu/publicservice/Website%20Files/Garden%20Plot%20Registration-Rules-form.doc
       http://7d8ca58ce9d1641c9251f63b606b91782998fa39.gripelements.com/docs/Sample_Garden_Plot_Registration.doc
  2. Land-use agreement:
       7d8ca58ce9d1641c9251f63b606b91782998fa39.gripelements.com/docs/Sample_Land_Use_Agreement.doc
  3. Rules:
       7d8ca58ce9d1641c9251f63b606b91782998fa39.gripelements.com/docs/Sample_Garden_Rules.doc
  4. Release of all claims:
       7d8ca58ce9d1641c9251f63b606b91782998fa39.gripelements.com/docs/Sample_Release_of_all_claims.doc
• Tips on local advocacy, how to deal with problems and arguments before they happen:

     http://7d8ca58ce9d1641c9251f63b606b91782998fa39.gripelements.com/docs/LocalAdvocacy10-Tips.pdf
      http://7d8ca58ce9d1641c9251f63b606b91782998fa39.gripelements.com/docs/GainingCommunitySupport.pdf

• Their Articles section is also worth a look:

      http://www.communitygarden.org/learn/resources/articles.php

• Especially useful is the article on dealing with vandalism:

     http://7d8ca58ce9d1641c9251f63b606b91782998fa39.gripelements.com/docs/TheftandVandalism.pdf

[edit]

Openlands

http://www.openlands.org
25 E. Washington St., Suite 1650
Chicago, IL 60602 USA
Phone: (312)-427-4256

Openlands is a Chicago-based non-profit that provides not only the BUGs program (see Resource section), but provides great advice, ideas, and counseling on securing the land needed for your community garden.

• Openlands, like the ACGA, has a great “How to Start a Vacant Lot Community Garden” section, as well as a vacant lot checklist:

     http://www.openlands.org/urbangreening.asp?pgid=108
     http://www.openlands.org/urbangreening.asp?pgid=101

• Their section on land ownership covers all the bases on determining the legal owner of the property, and how to navigate through city government:

      http://www.openlands.org/urbangreening.asp?pgid=335

• Working with your local alderman is especially important. To find out who your alderman is and how to contact them, call the Chicago City Request line at 311, or visit their site:

      https://servicerequest.cityofchicago.org/web_intake_chic/Controller

• They also have a useful page on recycling and cost-reducing ideas for your garden:

     http://www.openlands.org/urbangreening.asp?pgid=107

[edit] Water

All community gardens need access to water, and some need access to a whole lot. An arrangement could be worked out between the garden and its neighbors, or, ideally, water could come from city sources.

• Chicago Department of Water: (773)-744-7060
• Commissioner of Water: John Spatz

    1000 E. Ohio St.
    Chicago, IL 60611

• Don’t forget to ask about hydrant permits. They are to be brought to City Hall, Rm. 406

[edit] To Consider Before Planting

[edit] Soil Preparation

Proper soil preparation is vital for growing healthy vegetables. Most of the soil found around the neighborhood will probably be unsuitable for healthy vegetable growth as-is.  It is possible to examine the soil by taking a handful, squeezing it in a ball, and then watching it fall.  If it crumbles, it is sandy loam, if not, it is most likely predominantly sand.  Sandy loam is preferable.

Knowing the lead content and the pH of the soil is also useful for healthy vegetable growth.  The local extension office can do a pH test to figure out the composition of the soil.  A sample of garden soil can also be placed in a plastic bag and mailed to a testing facility.  Some examples include:

1. The Connecticut Agricultural Experimental Station
Slate Laboratory
Soil Testing
123 Huntington Street
New Haven, CT 06504-1106

2. A&L Great Lakes Lab
3505 Conestoga Dr.
Fort Wayne, IN 46808
260-483-4739

3. STAT Chicago Technology Park
2255 W. Harrington St.
Chicago, IL 60612
312-733-0551
STATinfo@STATAnalysis.com

Most likely, the tested soil will need a form of organic humus. Compost, peat moss, well rotted manure, or processed manure are all good forms of organic humus. Extra topsoil may also be brought in and mixed with existing soil. The use of fresh manure, unless it is applied in the fall, is not recommended because it has a tendency to release gases that can stunt crop growth.  One local resource for compost:

Lake Street Supply Co.
1810 W. Lake Street
Chicago, IL 60612
312-226-0760

Once the organic humus is mixed thoroughly with your existing soil, vegetables may be planted.

[edit] Choosing the Crops

Choosing the vegetable varieties that grow, mature, and yield best in this region is an important decision. If in doubt, it may be useful to consult neighboring gardens, the local 'Certified Nursery-person', 'Master Gardener', or County Extension Service. Local or regional companies that sell seeds are also good pointers.  

According to the USDA, vegetables that grow well in Region 5 (Chicago is in Region 5) are: potatoes, sweet corn, carrots, broccoli, cabbage, cucumbers, onions, turnips, peas, beans, squash, brussels sprouts, okra, celery, lettuce, peppers, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, pumpkins, radishes, eggplant, melons, parsnips, beets, spinach, and asparagus.

[edit] Online Resources for Plant Growing Information

1. Chicago Botanic Gardens: provides detailed information on growing plants and gardening in Chicago, including weather updates and changes in the growing season.
     http://www.chicagobotanic.org/plantinfo/index.php
Also provides the Plant Information Hotline:  (847) 835-0972

2. Illinois’ Best Plants: provides links for resources and instructions to growing plants in Illinois.
     http://www.bestplants.org/toc.htm

3. America the Beautiful Fund: will provide free seeds for organizations that write a short letter describing their project and fill out the application available on their website.
     http://www.america-the-beautiful.org/free_seeds/index.php

4. American Community Gardening Association:provides collected information on community gardening practices.
     http://www.communitygarden.org/learn/best-practices-10-tips-series.php
Includes information on how to save and start seeds:
     http://7d8ca58ce9d1641c9251f63b606b91782998fa39.gripelements.com/docs/saving_seeds.pdf
     http://7d8ca58ce9d1641c9251f63b606b91782998fa39.gripelements.com/docs/StartingSeeds.pdf

5. ATTRA: Provides resources and links to publications that offer detailed information about the production of horticultural crops, focusing on sustainable and organic production methods for traditional produce.
      http://www.attra.org/horticultural.html
 
Some examples of local, successfully grown vegetables supplied on the following pages.  Provided by the Cornell University Growing Guide.

[edit] Layout of the Garden

Though space might be limited, the layout of the vegetable garden should still be taken into consideration.  A well-planned layout may lead to a more bountiful harvest.
When possible, the tallest crops such as peas, beans, and corn, should be planted on the north side of the vegetable garden so they will not shade the rest of the vegetable crops.  Medium sized crops such as cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, tomatoes, and squash should be planted in the middle.  Low growing crops like radishes, carrots, beets, lettuce, onions should be planted at the most southern parts of the garden.

[edit] Pest Management

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is defined as method of pest control that emphasizes simple, inexpensive prevention practices that cause the least harm to people and the environment. It is a comprehensive approach to controlling insects, weeds, and pathogens through environmentally and economically sound practices.

1. Beyond Pesticides:  provides the public with useful information on pesticides and alternatives to their use.
     http://www.beyondpesticides.org/

2. Safer Pest Control Project: provides information, workshops, and consulting on IPM.
     http://www.spcpweb.org/index.php

3. University of Illinois Extension:  provides information and resources about IPM.
     http://www.america-the-beautiful.org/free_seeds/index.php

[edit] Tips from a Chicago Community Gardener

The organizer of a community garden in Woodlawn offers some contact tips from his own experience. If you choose to use these resources, make sure you explain that your project is a community garden designed to benefit your community and the environment—people will be more likely to share or give away resources to your garden.

Woodchips
The city of Chicago provided free woodchips to the Woodlawn Garden. Call 311 and ask for Sherry.

Compost
The River Bend Prairie Landfill, run by Land and Lakes, an excavating contractor in Chicago, provided free compost for the Woodlawn garden. Contact them at 773-264-8508.
Lake Street Landscapes was also recommended as a good source for compost. Contact them at 312-226-0760.

Seeds
Contact City Farm through Resource Center Chicago (see Resources section).

Irrigation systems
Dripworksusa.org designed a simple irrigation system for the Woodlawn garden. Contact them at 800-522-3747.

In addition to these resources, make sure to get in touch with block club and neighborhood organizations in your community

[edit] Vegetable Guide

[edit] Tomatoes

Preferable Conditions:

1. At least 8 hours of direct sun daily.
   
2. Well-drained, fertile soil, high in organic matter.  Clays and loams produce the highest yields, but, lighter soils that drain and warm quickly can produce earlier harvests. Tomatoes can also tolerate acidic soils (soils with a pH as low as 5.5), but grow best when soil pH is between 6.0 and 6.8.
   
3. Consistent moisture to prevent the blossom ends to rot.  Waterlogged soils are not tolerated.
   
   

How to Grow:

1. Transplants: look for sturdy, short, dark green plants, avoiding plants that are tall, leggy, or yellowish, or have started flowering.
   
2. Direct-seeding: Sow seeds indoors 6 to 8 weeks before transplanting outside. Best if planted 1/8 inch deep in sterile seed starting mix.  Seeds germinate best at 75 F to 90 F and transplants at about 70 F.  Be sure to place where plants can get enough light; even a sunny, south-facing window is may not be adequate, and using a grow light is recommended. 
   
3. Don’t rush to transplant; cold soil and air temperatures can stress plants; it is well worth to wait at least a week or two after the last frost. Nighttime temperatures should be consistently above 45 F.  If plants are planted and temperatures drop, black plastic mulch, row covers, and hot caps may be used to warm soil, but should be removed when temperatures exceed 85 F.
   
4. Space transplants:
   12 to 24 inches apart for determinate varieties
   14 to 20 inches apart for staked indeterminate varieties
   24 to 36 inches apart for unstaked indeterminate varieties
   
5. 5. Mulch plants after the soil has warmed up to maintain soil moisture and suppress weeds. Tomatoes also need a consistent supply of moisture - if it rains less than 1 inch in a week, watering is necessary to make up the difference.
   
6. Determinate varieties do not need staking. However, staking and pruning indeterminate varieties may accelerate the first harvest by more than a week, improve fruit quality, keep fruit cleaner, and make harvest easier. Staking and pruning does have a tendency to reduce total yield, but fruits also tend to be larger.
7. Wooden tomato stakes are typically about 6 feet long and 1 ½ inch square, but similar materials can definitely be used.  Stakes should be driven at least 8 to 10 inches deep, and very soon after transplanting, as to not damage roots.
   

[edit] Lettuce

Preferable Conditions:

1. Full sun is best, but part shade is helpful when it’s hot.
   
2. Well-drained, cool, loose soil with plentiful moisture and a pH between 6.2 and 6.8 is best. Also sensitive to low pH, so soil should not be below a pH of 6.0.
   
   

How to Grow:

1. Seeding or transplanting must be done in early spring, as soon as the soil is workable. It may be useful for the beds to be prepared the previous fall, by working in manure or compost.
   
2. Direct- Seeding: Sow seeds 1/8 inch deep, 1 inch apart, and in rows that are 12 to 18 inches apart. When plants grow two or three true leaves, thin to 12-inch spacings for crisphead varieties, or 6 to 10 inches for all other types.
   
3. Transplants: Sow in 1-inch cells 3 to 4 weeks before transplanting outside, and harden seedlings by reducing water and temperature for 3 days before transplanting. Hardened plants should survive temperatures of even 20 F.  Crisphead transplants should be spaced 12 inches apart in rows that are 18 inches apart. Other varieties should be spaced 6 to 10 inches apart in rows that are 12 to 18 inches apart.
   
4. Because seeds need light to germinate, they should not be planted too deep.  Succession plantings may be done every week or two for a continuous supply.
   
5. Lettuce also has a shallow root system, so soil must be kept moist to keep plants growing continuously. Mulch retains moisture well as well as suppresses weeds (unless slugs are a problem).  Row covers may be used to protect very early plantings from the cold, and from insects when warm weather arrives.

[edit] Broccoli

Preferable Conditions:

1. Full sun is preferable, but can also tolerate light shade.
   
2. Plants prefer well-drained, fertile soil high in organic matter, and with a pH between 6.0 and 7.5. They can also tolerate slightly alkaline soil.
   
3. Need plentiful, consistent moisture.
   

How to Grow:

1. Transplant:  Sow seeds indoors 6 to 8 weeks before average last spring frost, providing direct sun so plants don’t get leggy. When plants are 4 to 6 weeks old, they may be transplanted into the garden 12 to 20 inches apart.
   
2. Wide spacings must be used to harvest large central heads. Closer spacings will produce smaller central heads, but a greater total yield.
   
3. Direct-Seeding:  Can be direct-seeded as soon as the soil is workable. Will germinate at soil temps as low as 40 F. Plant ½ to ¾ inch deep, about 3 inches apart, and thin to final spacings.
   
4. For a fall crop, direct seeding must be done in midsummer, while transplants must seeded in late May and then transplanted in late June or early July.
   
5. To help reduce disease, do not plant broccoli or other cole crops in the same location more than once every three or four years.
   

[edit] Carrots

Preferable Conditions:

1. Full sun is best, but will tolerate slight shade.
   
2. Well-watered, well-drained soil.
   
3. Since carrots are root vegetables they also call for soil that is deep, loose, free of stones, and high in organic matter.  Roots can become twisted and forked in heavy, stony soil.  The shape of the root is determined within the first few weeks after germination, as the new plants extend their taproots deeper into the soil.  Therefore, if they encounter obstacles (such as rocks or high water table) , they will damage, affecting the shape and quality of the roots to suffer.
   
4. Plants also prefer a pH between 6.0 and 6.8, but can tolerate between 5.5 and 7.5.
   

How to Grow:

1. Plant in spring, preferably about 2 to 3 weeks before the last frost.  Plant seeds ½ inch deep, ½ inch apart, in rows that are 12 to 24 inches apart.  Soil that is deeply worked, fine, and weed-free will greatly improve the success of the crop.
   
2. Carrots are typically slow to germinate (will take 1 to 3 weeks). To quicken the pace of germination, it is helpful to water the soil daily.
   
3. Thinning is critical to grow healthy carrots because it reduces competition among neighboring plants. 1 to 4 inch spacings (depending on size of root desired) are typical and should be kept before plants reach 2 inches in height.  Also, cutting rather than pulling reduces disturbance of the remaining plants.
   

Tips:

1. Sow radishes in the same row; they germinate quickly, break the soil crust, and mark the row.  However, thin and/or harvest radishes before they compete with the carrots.
   
2. Make additional plantings every three weeks through midsummer for a continuous supply and a fall harvest. Sowing very early in the spring is possible, but some varieties of carrots will bolt if temperatures are too cold.
   
3. Plant crops for fall harvest about 10 to 12 weeks before first frost.
   
4. Root quality is best when soil temperatures are between 60 F and 70 F.
   
5. To prevent diseases, don’t plant carrots in the same spot more than once every 3 years.
   

[edit] Potatoes

Preferable Conditions:

1. At least six hours of sun daily.
   
2. Well-drained, light, deep, loose soil, high in organic matter.  Potatoes grow best in acidic soil with a pH between 4.8 and 5.5.
   
3. Plentiful and consistent moisture, but will rot under prolonged wet and cold conditions.
   
   

How to Grow:

Avoid planting potatoes from the supermarket because they may have been treated with sprout inhibitors and may be less vigorous as well as more prone to disease. If you must use supermarket potatoes, use round, white Maine-grown potatoes instead of russets or long white potatoes grown in California or Idaho.

1st way

1. Dig a shallow trench about 4 inches deep with a hoe. Place the seed potato pieces with their eyes up (cut sides down) about 8 to 12 inches apart in the trench.  Then, replace the soil. Space trenches about 2 to 3 feet apart. Stems and foliage should emerge in about 2 to 4 weeks, depending on soil temperature.
   
2. When the plants are about 6 to 8 inches tall, “hill” the potatoes by hoeing soil loosely around the base of the plants to within about an inch of the lower leaves from both sides of the row. Repeat the process in 2 to 3 weeks. Hilling keeps the developing potatoes from being exposed to sun, which turns them green and bitter. Green potatoes contain a chemical called solanine, which is toxic in large amounts.
   

2nd way

1. Snuggle seed pieces shallowly into the soil and cover with a thick layer of clean straw or other weed-free mulch. Add more mulch as needed to keep light from reaching potatoes. (A foot or more of mulch may be required.)
   

3rd way

1. (Works best in excellent potato-growing soil.) Plant seed potatoes 7 to 8 inches deep and skip hilling or deep mulching. The potatoes are slower to emerge, but this method requires less effort during the growing season.
   
2. Potatoes need at least 1 inch of water per week from either rainfall or deep watering. Mulching helps retain moisture. Keeping the soil from drying out also helps reduce scab.
   
   

[edit] Cucumbers

Preferable Conditions:

1. Full sun.
   
2. Well-drained, fertile soil, high in organic matter with a pH as close to 7 as possible. Consistent, plentiful moisture is also needed until the fruit is ripening because it may develop bitter taste in dry sites.
   

How to Grow:

1. Cucumbers are very sensitive to cold and should not be planted too early. Seeds will not germinate if the soil temperature is below 50 F, and germinate only slowly at 68 F.
   
2. Direct-seed 1 to 1 ½ inches deep, either in rows (2 inches apart in rows 5 to 6 feet apart) or in hills (3 to 6 seeds per hill, hills spaced 3 to 5 feet apart).
   
3. Thin to 8 to 15 inches apart in rows or 2 to 3 plants per hill snipping off plants when thinning to avoid disturbing the roots of nearby plants.
   
4. For extra early crops, start plants inside 3 to 5 weeks before transplanting. Sow 3 seeds per pot in 2-inch pots. Then, thin to one or two plants per pot. Grow above 70 F during the day and above 60 F at night.
   
5. Transplant into black plastic mulch or warm garden soil after danger of frost has passed and weather has settled. Be careful not to damage roots when transplanting.
   
6. For a continuous harvest, make successive plantings every 2 to 3 weeks until about 3 months before first fall frost date. About 1 month before first frost, start pinching off new flowers so plants channel energy into ripening existing fruit.
   
7. Cucumbers are heavy feeders and require fertile soil, nitrogen fertilizer, and/or additions of
   high-nitrogen organic matter sources.
   

[edit] Resources

American Community Gardening Association
The website provides a wealth of information about community gardening, planting, planning and maintaining gardens.
Website: www.communitygarden.org

NeighborSpace

NeighborSpace offers assistance to urban gardens in securing urban land and liability coverage, and preserving urban green space.
Website: www.neighbor-space.org

GreenCorps
GreenCorps provides horticultural guidance and landscape materials free of charge to groups planting gardens in public areas. Community groups seeking resources for a garden can obtain technical assistance, garden materials and labor through this organization. They also provide free plant distribution days.
Website: http://egov.cityofchicago.org/city
Telephone: 312-744-7606

Openlands
Openlands is dedicated to preserving and enhancing public open space in northeastern Illinois. They offer urban greening programs including Building Urban Gardens, an eight-week course designed for urban and community gardeners, and GardenKeepers, a community garden volunteer support network. They also provide information and materials on how to start community garden projects. They have provided woodchips and other resources to community gardens in the past.
Website: www.openlands.org
Telephone: 312-427-4256

Resource Center Chicago
Resource Center assists community organizations and schools in recovering vacant lots for community use.  Residents have created flower and vegetable gardens, recreational open space for community festivals, children's gardens and nature walks. Resource center can provide you with composting assistance as well.
Website: www.resourcecenterchicago.org
Telephone: (773)821-1351

University of Illinois Chicago Extension
The website contains a variety of different informational resources for gardeners. UIC Extension trains Master Gardeners, a group of volunteers to provide a network of gardening programs and horticultural activities. Contact your Master Gardeners at 773-233-0476.
Website: http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/hort/index.html

Chicago Botanic Garden
The Chicago Botanic Garden supports community gardening efforts in Chicago by providing assistance and education programs for designing gardens. The Fruit and Vegetable Garden showcases an abundance of ideas for culinary gardening, and demonstrates urban gardening techniques.
Website: www.chicagobotanic.org
Telephone: 847-835-5540

America The Beautiful Fund
ABF’s Operation Green Plant provides FREE plant and flower seeds to gardeners—just fill out the application, which can be found at:
http://america-the-beautiful.org/free_seeds/index.php

Growing Power
Growing Power is a nationwide nonprofit organization that aims to provide equal access to healthy, high-quality, safe and affordable food in communities. Growing Power provides hands-on training, demonstrations, outreach and technical assistance through the development of Community Food Systems.
Website: http://www.growingpower.org/
Telephone: 773-486-6005

GreenNet
GreenNet is a coalition committed to serving as a clearinghouse for information about greening in Chicago and to developing joint efforts to improve sustainable, green open space in Chicago. GreenNet offers resources to community gardeners on its website and may provide technical assistance and funding.
Website: http://www.greennetchicago.org/mini_grant.html
Telephone: 772-251-7515

Contact your alderman
Your alderman can provide information regarding the land use in your ward and can help your community secure and retain green space and urban agriculture plots. To find your alderman, go to:
www.chicityclerk.com/citycouncil/alderman/find.html

[edit] Making Children a Part of Your Garden

Kids can play a very important role in your efforts to create a working community garden. If you have support from the children, they can provide tremendous amounts of enthusiasm and labor power to help the project. But if they feel excluded or bored, they can also cause trouble.

• Make sure you include neighborhood children from the very beginning. Not only will they have a lot of fun, but they might even have some ideas you didn’t think of!
  
• In the following pages you will find tips, personal stories, and activities for including children in your garden project. These pages were adapted from a number of different, easily accessible online resources. If you’d like more information, please visit the websites listed below.'
  

1. School Garden Wizard.

A great resource for teachers and parents who want to start a garden at their children’s school, or who just want to know more about helping children learn through a garden.

     http://www.schoolgardenwizard.org

2. American Community Gardening Association.

This website has a lot of general information about starting a community garden, but it also lists specific tips about involving children throughout all phases of development.

     www.communitygarden.org

3. “Just for Kids.” University of Illinois Extension.

A very comprehensive website for getting kids excited about the garden. It is on an easy reading level with fun drawings and tons of pages. Also available en español.

     http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/kids/index.html

 

[edit] Gardening with Kids

by Kim Tilley

Kids love to get dirty and watch things grow, so gardening seems to be a natural activity for them to do. It teaches them so many things: the wonder of nature and the caring of living things, not to mention environmental science and the effects we have on our environment. But the real reason kids like gardening is because it's fun! Who doesn't want to play in the garden on a beautiful day and get their hands dirty?

Here are a few ideas to get your kids involved in the garden:

•  Give them a gardening area of their own.
Allow them to plant what they want there, but also require them to do the watering and weeding. Giving them control of their little garden area also teaches responsibility and cause and effect.

•   Get them in on the garden planning.
Kids have great ideas when it comes to gardening (and cooking for that matter!) They may come up with things you never thought of.

•  Give them large seeds to plant.
Squash, morning glories, beans and corn are all easy for little fingers to handle. One of my happiest memories in the garden was planting beans with Beau when he was 2. He couldn't reach where he needed to plant from the garden walkway, so I picked him up, held him over the spot, and he dropped the beans in. We laughed and laughed.

•   Keep the garden kid-friendly.
Don't plant anything that could be poisonous if eaten, particularly things such as castor beans (it only takes a few to poison an adult, and the beans are beautiful – they could easily be mistaken for a treat). Make wide paths for them to walk easily in the garden without falling on the plants (they still will, but if the paths are obvious, there's a better chance they'll keep to them). Don't forget to fence off stuff you REALLY don't want to get stepped on. And don't forget to pick up things they could get hurt on – tools, discarded fencing, etc.

•   Make it fun!
Make a teepee out of sticks and plant red runner beans to grow around the teepee. This makes a great kid hidout in the summer (don't plant anything in the teepee – it will get squashed beneath the kids!) Kids also love planting sunflowers, and you can make a "sunflower house" by planting the sun flowers with some space in the middle (a circle or square pattern) and then adding a roof of sticks once the sunflowers are big. Corn mazes are fun if you have the room and the corn. Cut a maze into the maize (ha ha) while the corn is young. By the time it grows big, you've got a really cool pattern.

•   Give them a spot to dig.
When Beau was little, he'd sit out in the garden with me for hours, as long as he had a place to dig with his little bulldozers and dump trucks. Nothing ever grew there, but he was so happy in his corner of the garden!

•   Let them explore.
My oldest son Sean loves to watch the bugs. He'll pick them up, examine them, put them in a jar and observe them, then let them go. He and Beau can spend hours "hunting bugs" in the garden and watching them. Connor prefers butterflies, but hasn't learned that he is too short to catch one yet.

•   Start some gardening traditions that include the kids.
We grow pumpkins every year and carve them up on Halloween. We look forward to this – it's a lot of fun. This year we're also growing birdhouse gourds. One year we grew mini gourds of all sizes and shapes and painted them for halloween. We made funny pumpkins, witches, Frankensteins, and ghosts. What fun!

© Copyright 1999-2000 Frugal-Moms.com Inc.
© Copyright 1999-2008 Seeds of Knowledge-Old Fashioned Living
http://www.seedsofknowledge.com/kidsgardening.html

[edit] Ten Tips for Gardening with Kids

by Rory Klick, Lake Villa, Illinois

1.    Kid gardens must be kid-based.
This means that kids help generate the ideas for what will be there, help with construction and planting, and are responsible for maintenance. Grown-up’s need to facilitate and show how, but not do everything. Focus on the process of involving them, and they will then take ownership.

2.    Develop the garden to be appropriate for the site and regional conditions.
Involve the kids in the site analysis process so they understand how important the light, soil, drainage and other environmental factors are to having a garden. Develop the garden so the features and plant choices are adapted to local conditions, so you are not “working against nature.”

3.    Focus on functional garden design, not how it will look.
Start the design process by determining what the children want to be doing and learning in the garden. Base the features on the practical functions they will serve, and don’t worry too much about aesthetics. Gardens that serve as hands-on learning laboratories for kids will be beautiful because they are well-used and well-loved spaces. Also remember that the children’s sense of what is pretty may not be yours; that’s ok because the garden is their space.

4.    Be comfortable with dirt.
All kids are washable, so as long as parents have been notified about the gardening activity in advance and haven’t sent them in fancy clothing, let them get dirty. If mud is a concern once the kids are going back inside the building, try plastic grocery sacks over their shoes, or set up and hand-washing and shoe-scraping station before they go back inside.

5.    Bugs and crawly critters are cool.
Children aren’t inherently afraid of things that crawl and creep. They learn that these things are bad or scary or icky from adults. When you pass on an aversion to something because of how it looks, that’s called “prejudice.” Worms, caterpillars, grubs, insects, spiders and all sorts of wondrous creatures are out in your garden as part of the
ecosystem. Please see them as integral parts of the system, and the kids will be amazed and curious, not afraid. Check out Worms Eat My Garbage and other great teaching resources on garden critters.

6.    No chemicals.
Given that you are gardening with children, this really should not need any explanation. Also in urban areas, it is advisable to have a basic soil assessment for lead and other urban contaminants to make sure your site is safe for children before the garden is developed.

7.    Grow some things to eat.
Children are much more willing to try and consume fresh fruits and vegetables that they have grown. In fact, they likely will try things they never have eaten before because they have tended the plants through harvest. Since 60% of kids today don’t eat enough fruits and veggies, learn more through the There’s a Rainbow on My Plate from the USDA and other kids nutrition resources. Have a harvest celebration and encourage the kids to share their bounty with others, whether informally or through national programs like “Plant a Row.”

8.    Reinforce the lessons from the garden while indoors.
Prepare the kids for their gardening experience by asking questions like, “What will we see today?” or “How much do you think things have grown since last week?” Engage kids in keeping journals and/or scrapbooks of their garden to monitor its progress through the season and over the years. If working with a school garden, integrate the garden across disciplines beyond science.

9.    Keep it fun.
Have enough equipment, whether trowels or watering cans, to allow small teams of 4-8 kids to work together on a task. Many children do better in small group situations, and it’s also easier to guide the kids when each team has a specific assignment. Try partnering older (grades 5-8 or HS) and younger children to provide younger kids with a helper, and help older children be more responsible. Have a plan for how the kids’ time in the garden will be organized so they aren’t left idle for long, but also be open to the “teachable moments” that come along.

10.    Gardening is a powerful experience for children.
Children have fewer and fewer chances to interact with the natural world, and the connection to nature is important for their development. Children who develop regard and concern for the natural world come to be good stewards of the land and its resources. Being responsible for tending a garden also fosters their sense of “nurturing” and helps them learn to care for other living things. Kids don’t often hear much positive feedback from adults, and creating and tending a garden also empowers kids because they hear that they have “done a good job” from other adults.

From the American Community Gardening Association’s “10 Tips Series”

http://www.communitygarden.org/learn/best-practices-10-tips-series.php

[edit] Cross-Discipline Learning

A community garden can provide an exciting place for children to learn while being active. Use these tips to teach math, geography, and communication skills while having fun in the garden!

Math	Kindergarten and 1st Grade	Grades 2 and 3	Grades 4 and 5	Grades 6 and 7	Grade 8
	Measure the garden both before and after construction.	Measure the garden in metric units.	Measure the garden and create a map to scale.	Calculate the volume of soil in a raised bed.	Perform an experiment in the garden, collect numerical data, and create a graph.
	Identify shapes in the garden.	Divide the garden to learn about fractions.	Measure the perimeter and area of a garden in metric units.	Identify geometric shapes in the garden.
	Record daily temperatures in the garden.	Identify symmetry and assymetry in the garden.
Geography	Kindergarten and 1st Grade	Grades 2 and 3	Grades 4 and 5	Grades 6 and 7	Grade 8
	Compare a map of the garden to the real one.	Create a simple garden map with symbols.	Use the garden to talk about how climate, weather, and soil affect how plants grow.	Explain the origins of different plants and how they travelled with humans throughout the world.	Discuss the effect of climate on vegetation.
	Identify symbols on the map that represent real features in the garden.	Collect data on weather and seasonal changes in the garden.			Talk about different ways people use land and the benefits and drawbacks of each.
Reading and Writing	Kindergarten and 1st Grade	Grades 2 and 3	Grades 4 and 5	Grades 6 and 7	Grade 8
	Read stories about plants and nature.	Write stories about the garden.	Read fiction and nonfiction children’s literature about gardens.	Work in groups to make plans and complete a project in the garden.	Write a research report on a garden-related theme.
	Practice following directions when planting.	Ask questions about what is happening in the garden.	Give an oral report about some aspect of the garden.