Build Your Skills Congratulations on supporting the growth of another season in your community or school garden! With another year under your belt you’ve likely learned more about what works and what doesn’t work in managing your garden. As the season draws to an end, reflect on what you’ve learned and what you want to […]
Toolshed Tips: Invite Community into Your Garden
A Special Invitation While your garden is still in its full glory, send a special invite to neighbors, volunteers, teachers, parents, donors, local officials and other current or potential stakeholders to come see your garden at its best. This is a great way to thank the people who have made contributions and inspire new partnerships […]
Toolshed Tips: Mid-summer Garden Management
Meeting the Mid-summer Challenge Mid-summer can be at once the most rewarding and the most challenging part of community gardening. It’s when the reason for the season really kicks in: plants are more robust and filling up your garden with green, your harvests are beginning to be more substantial and your early season work is […]
Resources Referenced in the Housing Toolkit
Click here for more info on how to get your own complete copy of the Edible Landscaping & Community Gardening Toolkit for Affordable Housing Communities. Background Reading ONLINE ONLY: Integrating Food Access & Affordable Housing (Vermont Housing & Conservation Board) ONLINE ONLY: Advocate’s Guide: A Primer On Federal Affordable Housing & Community Development Programs (National […]
Toolshed Tips: Garden Volunteers
Top Ten Ideas Worth Sharing: Supporting Garden Volunteers
Toolshed Tips: Garden Communications
Garden Communications Before the growing season’s in full swing, make sure there are systems in place for communicating information, ideas, and concerns with and among those involved with your community or school garden (i.e. gardeners, volunteers, teachers, students). To assess your garden’s communications, start with some basic questions: How do your garden’s coordinators relay announcements, […]
Toolshed Tips: Sharing the Work
Getting Garden Volunteers Off to a Good Start: When managing the communal work of your garden, preparing your garden volunteers early in the season will help keep them engaged for the long term. Get these volunteers off to a good start by… Setting up systems for effective communication that are easy to use and manage. […]
Toolshed Tips: Wintertime Garden Gatherings
Wintertime Garden Gatherings As the green of our gardens finally get buried in the snow (or not!) many of us gardeners search for ways to stay connected to the growing we love and to the fellow gardeners we miss. Below are a few ideas for continuing to surround ourselves with green by growing, learning and […]
Toolshed Tips: Garden Leadership Support
Rejuvenate Your December tip: Community and school gardens can be demanding efforts and the nature of many who are involved in their coordination is to give, give, and then give some more. As a garden leader, you do the work because you see the need and you’re passionate about gardens, fresh food, and your community. […]
VCGN Collaborates with New England Grassroots Environment Fund
The deadline for New England Grassroots Environment Fund‘s (NEGEF) Grow grant is quickly approaching–coming up March 15, 2016! This grant offers $1,000-$3,500 for established school and community gardens to increase capacity, collaborate, and leverage impact. In addition to grant funds, 2016 Grow grantees who are based in Vermont receive planning support and technical assistance from VCGN […]