Growing Your Garden Team

The long-term success and health of your program will depend a great deal on whether or not you’ve developed a broad base of interest for the project. Imposing a program on anyone, adult volunteers or youth participants, can squelch excitement and momentum. Ask for input, and cultivate ownership of the project among your garden community.

community garden sign

There are three approaches to implementing community projects.

  1. Doing to: A top-down approach. For example: An agency feels that a gardening program is needed by the community, and goes ahead and implements it without community support. Essentially they “do the gardening project to” the community. Or, a group of adults think a gardening project would be good for students or community youth, so they go ahead and plan and build the garden. They do all this without youth support.
  2. Doing for: Other well-meaning agencies may sense that there is a demonstrated need, so they do the gardening project for the community. But, without a broad base of involvement, these projects may fall by the wayside for lack of long-term support.
  3. Doing with: The best approach is to collaborate in each phase of the project – to do it with the community. Community members engaged in each phase of the project are much more likely to feel committed over the long haul.

Hopefully you already have at least a small group of people who are interested in starting a Garden-Based Learning program. Your assignments this week will be to brainstorm others who might be interested in participating and asking them to join in the planning process. Your GBL program will be better and your own load lighter as a result! Here are some ideas to get you started:

Adults

  • Who are the adults involved with the project: parents, teachers, club leaders, Master Gardeners?
  • What are their roles: recruiting volunteers, serving on the planning committee, community outreach, fund raising, garden maintenance, etc?

Youth

  • Who are the young people involved in the project: students at a school, 4-H club members, youth who frequent a community center?
  • What are their roles: in planning the garden, in generating support for the garden (enthusiasm, funds, materials), in building the garden, in caring for the garden?

Partnerships

  • What are some possible partnerships in your community: Elementary School – Master Gardeners – Local Nursery- 4-H Club – Garden Club – Nature Center?
  • What roles will each partner play: planning the garden, providing expertise, supplying materials, building the garden, recruiting volunteers, raising funds, etc?

Administrative Support

  • Convincing administrators may be quite easy, or very difficult, depending on their philosophical approach to outdoor learning. Some administrators see this type of project as critical, and immediately recognize all the benefits. Others may view a growing project as unnecessary, as an “add-on,” or even as a liability issue. Whatever their perspective, it is critical to involve administrators early on, and to keep them informed of your progress. It is even more critical if they do not fully support the program initially. Be prepared, you may want to present a one-page summary of your plan. A thorough approach will be the first step to persuading a hesitant director of the program’s validity.
Adapted from Cornell Garden-Based Learning, https://gardening.cals.cornell.edu

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