A Simple Community Garden

A community garden is a great rewarding school or home project. Now is the time to think about doing this activity with any age group. You may be in the coldest months of the winter, or taking a break in the heat of summertime. In the winter, plan for a spring time planting and in the summer think about a fall or the following spring project. Whatever the season is in your geographic location, plan now to do something special for some organization in your area. Take a moment and think about the different people that live in your city, town or village.

• Fire department
• Police
• Medical facilities
• Nursing homes
• Other schools
• Non - profit organizations
• Local government agencies
• Your own neighborhood
• Religious facilities
• Recreational Centers

These are just a few that come to mind when I think of a community setting. Now you are probably wondering, "how would you go about planting a simple garden for someone and why?" There are a couple of options for you when doing a small garden. Think about the possibility of a few herbs.

Sage

Thyme

Basil

Any herbs would not only give some nice flavor for many dishes, but also provide beauty while these people are working hard helping others. Another idea is to plant a small group of flowers.

Balloon Flower

Asiatic Lily

Clematis

These three flowers are all perennials and will do well in a variety of climates. You can also do annual flowers. Think about planting a few different types of shrubs to give the organization some nice color around their building or property.

Globe Arborvitae

Chinese Loropetalum

Sea Green Juniper

There are a variety of different shrubs that can make a community sparkle with pride. Of course you can also plant a deciduous or evergreen tree. In the Learning Center, there is some information about planting a deciduous or evergreen tree for a school project. Tree planting is also a great project to give something back to your community. The other option is to plant a container garden for a special group in your community. Small gardens or one or two planters can be done inexpensively and the whole class or even school can get involved. The first step is to plan out the entire project. Talk as a group and decide what organization you would like to thank. This is a great activity for everyone to learn about their area in which they live, as well as about the organization. It also is a wonderful teaching tool for learning about plants and how to properly prepare, place and plant. Contact the organization and possibly go on a field trip to their facility. This is a wonderful way to start the activity and everyone will get hands experience on from the beginning. This is a great time to decide if you are going to do a small garden or a planter or two. An option in a school project is to have different classes plant for different organizations. Meet together as a faculty or in groups and make your goals at this time. A planting project is also great for science, biology or horticultural students. Have the students design and plan out the garden.

If there is a limited budget, consider starting plants from seeds. Trays are not expensive and a wonderful lesson in watching the germination process. If planting from seeds isn't feasible for your group, consider buying the plants. If you are buying existing plants, field trips to your local nurseries or garden centers is another great way to teach children about a variety of different plants. They also get to experience the different textures and colors. Get the word out that your group is doing something to thank a local organization. Many times other people will jump on the band wagon and before you know it, everyone is involved in doing something. Have the children keep journals and also communicate with the organization you have chosen during the entire project. If you are germinating seeds, have some representatives from the group come and see the progress of the seeds turning into plugs.

Go together as a group and either plant the garden or present the planters. Always do a follow up and keep the communication going between you and the organization. This adventure can lead to new friendships as well as a better understanding of what that particular organizations role is in your community. There are many different ways people in their local surroundings can come together through a school or home activity. To me, a fire fighter eating his or her lunch and waiting for a call to put out a fire or potentially save a life. These people would enjoy a couple of slices of fresh tomato for a sandwich. A planter with a tomato plant is a great way to say thank you. A little gesture like this, goes a long ways. If you have already done an activity like this or some other project for a group in your community, please feel free to share your story with others. Your idea may catch on in other areas of the world. Doing a small garden to say thank you to a special organization in your town will also give all of you a real sense of pride and accomplishment for everyone to enjoy.