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A Case Study: Growing Conscious 1.

Preparations:
Group Goals:
Set up Mental and Physical Goals for the Group promote a state of
well-being in which every individual realizes his or her own potential, can
cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully,
and is able to make a contribution to her or his community
Set up a Long-Term Location Goal Create new garden plot and develop
it by planting edible plants in it
Location:
Identify and propose a location for the group meetings The Free
Garden
Outline the location for Project Planning
Marketing:
Create a Group Name and Logo
Set up a Social Networking site for the Group

Facebook Page
Get location Published on Google Maps
Google Maps-- The Free
Garden
Create a Poster with QR code See Below
Identify Like Minded Groups on Campus
Counseling Center, Ecology Club,
Sustainable UH, CTAHR
Add Meetings to University Calendar

Introduction
Week 1
Number of participants: 3
Activity: A basic introduction to the group was given to all in attendance. Information covered
included the basis for the group, why horticulture should be used as therapy, discussion of informed
consent and why research was being conducted.
Results: In attendance there were two staff members from the counseling center at the university.
There seemed to be much excitement as to the programs development and potential client referrals.
Notes: This is your first impression. Try to make it the best ever. Remember to define what you hope
to do during the program, ask for suggestions of what they want to see. Try getting to know each
other using games or name tags. Tell them a little about yourself and why you want to lead this
program.

Start New Plot


Week 2
New participants: 3
Activity: A garden sign was created to help potential group members find their way to the garden. The
new plot was cleared using shovels, hoes, and rakes. It was truly a joint effort. Clearing the plot took
almost the entire hour, seeds were then planted (mammoth sunflower and sunnhemp).
Materials:

Hoes, Rakes, Shovels


Gardening Gloves
Plywood sheet (3x3ft)
1 can of Chalkboard Paint
Seeds (Mammoth Sunflowers and Sunnhemp)

Results: Being able to create a sign helped with group identification and inclusion. The chalkboard
spray paint seemed to be very interactive; it was a good choice because the sign can be easily written
on to present the groups activities. The rigorous physical activity of clearing the plot was a welcomed
change for participants who had been sitting in classrooms all day. Rocks that were cleared out of the
bed were then set aside and an ebonezer (tower of rocks) was constructed. Seeds were then dropped
into the freshly cleared soil.
Notes: It is important to note that this new garden plot had undergone about two months of lasagna
mulching prior to its clearing. This made the soil very fertile and enabled bugs to aerate it. Also,
sunflower and sunnhemp seeds were chosen because they would last the entire semester and come
to bloom as the semester was finishing. Having a continual sign of progress helps to unify the group.

Clean Up
Week 3
New Participants: 1
Activity: Trash clean up, weed identify
Materials:

trowels
garden forks
buckets to collect weeds
Gardening gloves

Results: This activity was pretty laid back, so there was plenty of opportunity for group members to
get to know each other better. Information was shared about farm work exchanges from our new
participant, and other group members expressed their future ambitions and daily stressors.
Notes: Take a look at the info regarding different types of weeds. Remember to use garden gloves
because its very easy to skin your fingers pulling up weeds.

Seed Science
Week 4
New participants: 0
Activity: This week, we talked about the science of seeds. Basic information about seed germination
and nutritional value was shared. After this discussion the group made seed bombs. This form of
guerilla gardening involves rolling seeds into balls of compost and potting soil and then rolling them in
dry material (in this case coffee grounds). The technique for this can be considered similar to making
truffles.
Materials:
Seeds (anything fast sprouting will do)
Garden Soil (we used organic potting soil)
Compost (any type of sticky mud will also do, but since we have a compost bin compost was
used)
Coffee Grinds
Boxes for clients to take seed bombs home in
Results: By far, the seed bombs activity seems to be the favorite thus far. Participants are
encouraged to get dirty and feel the soil. Group members were excited to be able to take their
creations and plant them around their homes or places they pass by on their way to class.
Notes: Be prepared. This activity gets messy. Make sure there is easy access to clean up areas (ie
bathrooms) as having their hands covered in dirt is sometimes distressing to participants.

Plant Families
Week 5
Number of New Participants: 0
Activity: Discuss plant families and companion planting. Plant lots of seeds in new plot!
Materials:
shovel/trowel
lots of seeds!
Results: Only one participant attended this group meeting; however, there was lots of fun to be had in
this activity. There was a lot of information given on plant families that was found rather interesting.
There were no restrictions on the type of seeds or the form in which they should be planted, which
made the activity very fun and not at all rigid.
Notes: When planting many seeds at random remember that spacing might be a future problem; try
to evenly distribute the seeds if at all possible.

Biodiversity--Diet Diversity
Week 6
Number of New Participants: 1
Activity: Make plant labels for the new garden plot. Transplant tomatoes.
Materials:

Tomato seedlings
trowels
thumb tacks
chalkboard paint
pieces of modeling wood 1x3x in
wooden coffee stirrers

Results: There was a very low turnout to this weeks meeting. We talked a little about why having
diversity in our diets is useful for health maintenance and discussed vitamin and mineral deficiencies
and what fruits and vegetables contained these nutrients. Teaching how to properly transplant
seedlings is something that is pretty basic in gardening techniques and was found to be very
interesting by our new participant as we transplanted tomato seedlings.
Notes: Remember sometimes there are slow weeks. Dont let that get to you. If only one participant
shows up then you are at least being there for that participant. Being a constant presence can be very
supportive and encouraging.

Biodiversity--Plant Diversity
Week 7
Number of New Participants: 0
Activity: Talk about Plant diversity. Dig up potatoes.
Materials:
Shovels/Trowels/ Rakes
Gardening gloves
Results: Participants really enjoyed this activity. They thought the facts about the Potato Famine were
very interesting and directly reflected our need for plant biodiversity. Digging up potatoes is not
always an easy task, but it is often quite rewarding. Our group left with about eight okinawan sweet
potatoes and covered in dirt.
Notes: This activity takes a lot of effort. This activity also requires you to have potatoes ready to
harvest. Remember you can tell if a potato is ready for harvest if the vines are blooming flowers.
Physical exercise is great for mental health, but be careful to make sure that all participants are
comfortable with this level of activity. Consider having an alternate activity available to any
participant who are unable to dig up potatoes.

Sustainability
Week 8
Number of New Participants: 1
Activity: This week our major activity was having a group discussion regarding sustainability. This week
was the beginning of Earth Month (April). We decided that the topic of sustainability was something
sorely needed, especially with a reflection of physical sustainability. Questions were asked like
including: What is Sustainability/ What does Sustainability mean to each participant? What does
Sustainability look like in our community? What things can we do to improve our own personal
journey towards sustainability?
Materials: None!
Results: The group had some great insights regarding what sustainability actually. We decided it has a
lot to do with leaving more behind than when we got there so that there is enough for the people
who come after us. We also talked about how much damage the human species has done since we
began. We talked about soil depletion and what means we could use to improve the situation. We
discussed methods such as composting and recycling our waste.
Notes: This is another one of these activities that builds community without requiring extensive
energy to complete. This is also a great activity to do at the beginning of the semester, it brings up
project ideas and topics you might want to expand upon in further group meetings.

Relaxing
Week 9
No new participants
Background: The activity for this week has less to do with actual horticulture knowledge and more to
do with the therapeutic properties of nature.
Activity: This weeks activity was to practice relaxing. We were laying in the grass and observing the
current growth of the plants. After about thirty minutes doing this activity, we went on a field trip to
another one of the campus gardens and observed the wide variety of plant diversity and growth.
Materials: None!
Results: The participants seemed to enjoy this activity very much. It came during midterm
examinations, so it was much needed. Participants really liked feeling the freedom just to lay down in
the grass and watch the clouds. One of our participants who was studying massage therapy helped to
further increase the relaxed environment by giving a massage to anyone who wanted one.
Notes: This is a great activity for a week when you have low participant attendance. Its also something
people rarely take the time to think about or do actively, so take the opportunity to talk about how
taking a momentary step back from stressful situations before they become overwhelming can be a
positive action and effective coping strategy.

Community Outreach
Week 10
No new Participants
Activity: This week we got the opportunity to work with one of the local newspapers. They came with
their photographer and journalist and conducted interviews of the participants regarding the
therapeutic horticulture program and our garden. We also had a scheduled activity of making bean
poles for the new plot to help the plants grow off the ground.

Materials:

Sticks (around 2ft tall)


Twine/String
Scissors
Thumb Tacks

Results: Our participants liked getting the


opportunity to show off all the work they
had done, and were excited pointing out the
different plants that were growing. They
also had fun breaking the sticks (we actually
used a hawaiian pepper bush that had been removed from the garden several months before as
sticks) to appropriate sizes for use as bean poles.
Notes: If you think your group would be open to it, see if
there is any way you can get publicity for the group and the
garden projects that you have. Talk to local or campus
newspapers, radio stations, or television news networks.
Remember, being able to contribute to ones community is
an essential part of mental well-being.

Soil Science/ Lasagna Gardening


Week 11
No new Participants.
Background:
Activity: This week we worked on laying down sheet mulch/ lasagna gardening the two older plots.
This is a very simple and effective way of improving soil quality. First break up the soil that is already
there, then apply a layer of compost, then a layer of mulch. There are many ways to do this and
different combinations of ingredients yield different results.
Materials:
Shovels/ Trowels/ Rakes
Compost (can also substitute used coffee grinds)
Mulch (consider getting donations from campus Landscaping department)
Results: This was a great activity for this group. There was much teamwork going on and participants
seemed to be having lots of fun getting their hands dirty.
Notes: This is an activity that will leave you covered in dirt. Remember
to supply gardening gloves to participants if they would like to use
them, but encourage the use of bare hands, as it seems to be more
enjoyable. This is a great activity for weeks when you have a large
group of people. Consider using this project later in the semester as a
preparation for Winter/Summer Breaks since you may not have regular
maintenance of the garden.

Survey--Last Week
Week 12
No new Participants
Background: Doing a survey is a great way to get feedback from participants. This will help you in
identifying what activities participants enjoyed, how you can reach more students, how you can
improve your program, etc.
Activity: Participants completed a survey identifying the above stated topics.
Materials:
Surveys
Pens/ Pencils
Something to Write on (Books/ Clipboards)
Results: Several great suggestions came up for improving the program. Including having more
outreach focused on the community, adding more posters to bulletin boards, and sending mass text
messages to remind people of group meetings.
Notes: This was our last group meeting before the summer. Consider also including a light activity
such as harvesting some of the fruits and vegetables that you planted at the beginning of the
semester. Have a debriefing with all the participants, discuss the future of the program and what
activities you will have over the break. Make sure that all participants know how to contact leaders
with questions or comments.
Survey

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