Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Whether this is your first attempt at gardening or your fifth, it’s always helpful
to have guidance from the experts. Tips to help you start a vegetable garden:
includes planting guides, how to build a raised bed, step-by-step guides to
planting a vegetable garden and suggested plant varieties for certain
climates. Dig in and have fun!
This resource offers a beginner’s guide, lists cool and warm season crops,
garden design tips, suggestions from other gardeners and other information
to start growing your own fruits and vegetables.
http://www.sunset.com/garden/fruits-veggies/how-to-grow-vegetables-
00400000063102/
http://www.thegardenofoz.org/firstvegetablegarden.asp
http://www.sunset.com/garden/backyard-projects/ultimate-raised-bed-how-to-
00400000011938/page9.html
How to Start a Vegetable Garden: The Weekend Gardener
http://www.weekendgardener.net/vegetable-gardening-tips/starting-garden-
050705.htm
http://igrowsonoma.org/getting-started-with-home-grown-food
http://www.reneesgarden.com/hm-gardnr/resource/long-season-garden.pdf
http://www.gardenguides.com/599-starting-first-vegetable-garden.html
Warm and Cool Season Crop Charts (when to plant what): Santa Clara
County Master Gardeners
http://www.mastergardeners.org/warm-cool-veg-charts
http://www.garden.org/foodguide/browse
http://casfs.ucsc.edu/publications/gardenideas/index.html
School Gardens
You have an empty piece of prime real estate at your school that is perfect for
a school garden, but are overwhelmed by the idea of starting a garden and do
not know where to begin. Below are guides and step-by-step resources to
help you start a successful school garden program involving students,
teachers and administration.
http://www.cfaitc.org/cropcircles/pdf/CROPcircles_Region3.pdf
http://www.ecoliteracy.org/downloads/getting-started
http://www.lifelab.org/garden_tips.php
http://www.csgn.org/csysgvideo.php
http://www.schoolgardenwizard.org/
http://www.csgn.org/images/pdf/garden_budget.pdf
http://www.csgn.org/images/pdf/GFLBook.pdf
School Garden Program Overview: California Department of Education
http://www.cde.ca.gov/Ls/nu/he/gardenoverview.asp
If you are looking for ways to link your garden lesson or school garden
program with California State Standards, these resources can tell you which
lessons and types of lessons meet which standard. There are also ideas and
lists of garden activities/lessons.
Garden activities and the state standards with which they correspond.
http://www.cfaitc.org/gardensforlearning/pdf/supplement.pdf
http://www.foodlandpeople.org/resources/second_ed.html
Grades 2 - 6
http://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/nu/he/documents/childsgarden.pdf
Cooking and Eating: Eat Well for Nutrition, In the Garden – California
School Garden Network
http://www.csgn.org/page.php?id=44
In depth lesson plans for planting certain crops in your school garden,
cooking them and learning about them.
http://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/nu/he/kidscook.asp
http://www.hort.cornell.edu/department/faculty/eames/foodsys/index.html
http://csgn.org/page.php?id=22
http://pugetsoundschoolgardens.org/index.php
http://www.caff.org/programs/farm2school.shtml
http://www.edibleschoolyard.org/
http://www.healthyschoolenvironment.org
Youth Programs
These programs listed below are youth development programs that engage
youth in gardening and sustainable agriculture projects to foster strong
relationships and build leadership and life skills.
http://www.rootedincommunity.org/aboutus.php
http://www.greatkidsfarm.org/
http://thefoodproject.org/
Cultivating Community
http://cultivatingcommunity.org
Urban Sprouts
http://www.urbansprouts.org/
School Year Gardens: A Toolkit fro High Schools to Grow Food from
September to June – The Richmond Fruit Tree Project
http://www.richmondfruittree.com/Toolkit.pdf
The Youth Farm and Market Project
http://www.youthfarm.net/
Community Gardens
http://aces.nmsu.edu/pubs/_h/H-246.pdf
http://www.communitygarden.org/learn/starting-a-community-garden.php
http://celosangeles.ucdavis.edu/garden/articles/pdf/startup_guide.pdf
http://www.redwoodcity.org/manager/initiatives/gardens/index.html
http://www.goodgrub.org/about
http://www.jvuf.org/
http://cityslickerfarms.org/
If you’re looking for ways to use your home or school food waste, see if
composting is an option. It can reduce your waste and provide a natural
fertilizer for your home or school garden. It can be a great lesson in many
science topics for students and can also greatly improve your soil.
Composting Fundamentals
http://vegweb.com/composting/how-to.shtml
http://www.thegardenofoz.org/composting101.asp
http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/horticulture/DG3296.html
http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/FEATURE/backyard/compost.html
Master Composter
http://www.mastercomposter.com/
http://reducewaste.org/portal/site/iwm/
Send your school or community garden soil to this lab for as little as $9 to
make sure there are no toxic substances in your soil.
http://www.umass.edu/soiltest/
Container Gardening
http://www.gardenguides.com/686-guide-container-gardening-2.html
http://planetgreen.discovery.com/home-garden/creative-container-garden-
ideas.html
http://planetgreen.discovery.com/home-garden/trash-container-garden-
pots.html
Grants/Funding
There are many hardware stores, garden supply stores and national health,
nutrition and gardening focused companies that support and often sponsor
garden projects. If you are looking for funding for a school or community
garden project look at these funding resources.
http://assoc.garden.org/grants/
http://sfgreenschools.org/resources/grants-grant-writing/
http://www.seedsofchange.com/donations/donation_participants.aspx
http://www2.fiskars.com/Activities/Project-Orange-Thumb/Grant-Program
http://www.broncourbangardens.org/community-and-school-gardens/the-forge
Collective Roots
Join Collective Roots at their community/school garden at the East Palo Alto
Charter School for their monthly garden workday.
http://www.collectiveroots.org/help_us_grow/volunteer
Help CAFF with one of their many school garden/farm field trips or work on
another food system related project.
http://www.caff.org/jobs/employment.shtml
Join the garden staff Wednesdays and Saturdays in the garden from 10am to
dark or help with their farm stand, chicken care or other volunteer
opportunities.
http://www.fullcirclesunnyvale.org/?page_id=65
Volunteer along the Guadalupe River in San Jose helping with their various
gardens or other conservation projects.
http://www.grpg.org/Volunteer.shtml#Gardens
The HEAL Project
Contact the HEAL Project in Half Moon Bay about volunteer opportunities.
http://www.thehealproject.org/
La Mesa Verde
http://shcstheheart.org/volunteers/opps.html
Veggielution
Join the Veggielution crew at their community farm in Emma Prusch Park in
San Jose. Volunteer workdays are Tuesday 8:30am – 10am, Wednesday
2pm – 6pm, Thursday 8:30am – 10am and Saturday 10am -12:30pm
http://www.veggielution.org/get-involved/volunteer/
If you need help or have questions about gardening in Santa Clara County,
the Master Gardeners can help you. You can call their hotline, ask them
questions online or visit their website and read their numerous tips and
explanations.
http://www.mastergardeners.org/scc.html
The City of San Jose’s community garden program where garden plots are
available for rent for city residents. Many gardens have a waitlist so be aware.
http://www.sjcommunitygardens.org/
http://www.ci.mtnview.ca.us/city_hall/comm_services/recreation_programs_a
nd_services/community_gardens.asp
http://www.charlesstreetgardens.org/
http://www.cityofpaloalto.org/visiting/news/details.asp?
NewsID=457&TargetID=51
Free for residents of Mountain View, Sunnyvale, Los Altos and Palo Alto
http://www.ci.mtnview.ca.us/city_hall/public_works/garbage_and_recycling/co
mposting_and_yard_trimmings.asp
Donate Excess Backyard Produce to Second Harvest
http://www.shfb.org/backyardproduce
http://www.villageharvest.org/harvesting
http://journeytoforever.org/edu_garden_link.html