Gateway Greening Inc. Community Garden Program New GardenApplication Orientation September 28th, 2011 September 29th, 2011 October 8th, 2011
About Gateway Greening ď °History Founded in 1984 as an all volunteer organization and has grown into a fully-staffed community non-profit offering a diverse range of programs
About Gateway Greening ď °
Mission: ď Ž
Our mission is to contribute to neighborhood vitality and stability through community food projects, education and wellness programs, and civic greening.
ď Ž
We accomplish this mission by forming alliances with nonprofit organizations, faith based institutions, institutions of higher learning and neighborhood groups to provide resources for citizen-managed open spaces that encourage healthier, safer and more enriched lives.
About Gateway Greening
Shift To Health & Wellness and Food Security
Access by all people at all times to enough food for an active, healthy life.
Food security includes at a minimum: Ready
availability of nutritionally adequate and safe
foods An assured ability to acquire acceptable foods in socially acceptable ways.
Gateway Greening’s Programs Community Garden Program
Youth Garden Program
Community Garden Program supports groups committed to creating successful foodproducing gardens or urban greening projects over the long term and provides the resources and knowledge that enable them to develop food producing gardens and landscaped areas on public land.
Youth Garden Program involves at-risk youth in sustainable food production and garden-based education to meet the diverse needs of schools in partnership with neighboring communities.
City Seeds Urban Farm
Urban Roots
City Seeds is a partnership program with the St. Patrick Center that provides job training, therapeutic horticulture, and education on nutrition and food preparation to individuals dealing with or at risk of chronic homelessness, substance abuse, mental illness, and recidivism.
The mission of Urban Roots is to recruit volunteers from the gardening, educational, business, horticulture and non-profit communities and provide resources for enhancement of the St. Louis urban landscape, improving the quality of life for those who reside, work and play in downtown St. Louis.
Gardens can be at schools, daycare centers, institutions, or community gardens with a youth focus.
Where does our funding come from? Revenue $807,902 Other, $1,771.00 , 0%
Government Grants, $33,379.00 , 4%
Urban Roots, $41,584.00 , 5%
Special Events, $110,525.00 , 14%
Foundation and Corporate Support, $345,586.00 , 43%
Expense $829,411 Adminstration, $50,231.00 , 6%
Individual Support, $131,623.00 , 16% In-Kind Contributions, $143,434.00 , 18%
Program Services, $711,604.00 , 86%
Fundraising, $67,576.00 , 8%
Community Garden Program
Each year we select several community gardening and greening projects to be developed or expanded. These may include community vegetable gardens, tree and shrub beds, native plantings, perennial beds, street entrances, or any other creative designs developed by your neighborhood group, association, church, or block unit. Groups are urged to apply only for projects they are certain they can maintain. Our selection process requires that neighborhood groups be committed to creating a successful urban greening project over the long term. Selected projects will be based on need and will be supported with materials (hardscape & landscape.)
Community Garden Program Service Area
The program service area includes St. Louis City, and the areas west to I-170, North to the Missouri River and East to the Mississippi River. Projects in underserved areas are given priority.
Community Garden Program Groups must:
Develop a realistic long term plan by outlining garden features to be installed over several years Create a visible project with impact on the neighborhood and to passers-by Provide support and labor needed to maintain the project Ensure that the project is self-sufficient by the end of the season Volunteer 30 hours a year as a group with other community garden projects Provide evaluation worksheet, progress photos and updated gardener lists to Gateway Greening
Community Garden Program In return, Gateway Greening will offer resources to greening groups, including:
Assistance with project planning, coordination and installation; Plant materials, soil amendments and mulch; Opportunity for yearly expansion projects; Technical assistance such as garden visits, educational workshops and mailers; and On-going technical support provided by master gardeners at the bell garden
Community Garden Applications Due
November 11th, 2011 by 4:30pm
Selection
Committee reviews applications, meets
with your group at the garden site, and makes recommendation. In
February, new projects are announced.
Installations
occur in the Spring of 2012.
2011 Active Gardens
Community Gardens Youth Gardens Growing Healthy Kids Total Gardens
131 61 14 201
155 Vegetable, 46 Ornamental 2011 Community Garden Awards 11 New Community Gardens 11 Expanding Community Gardens
COMMUNITY GARDENS 13th Street Community Garden 22nd Ward 4200 Block of Flad 4200 Castleman Association 4400 Pershing Block Association Garden Baden Triumph Garden Bell Community Garden Benton Park West Neighborhood Association Bevo-Long Community Garden Blessings and Glory Block Unit #1024 Block Unit 1035 Garden Block Unit 429 Block Unit 472 Bolden Community Garden Botanical Community Garden Botanical Heights Boyle and Laclede Community Garden Burning Kumquat Carondelet Community Garden Carver House Garden Center for Hope Community and School Garden Cherokee Real Citizens for the Advancement of Normandy (C.A.N.) City Greens Community Garden Clark Elementary Clemens Community Garden Clifton-McLaran Garden COLA Victory Garden Colibri Garden Community Peace Garden Crown Center for Senior Living Dave Hagerty Community Garden DeSales Garden Dogtown Community Garden Dorothy Park EarthDance East Warne Inner City Christian Church Garden Emerson YMCA Friends and Family Garden English Cave Etzel Community Garden
Fall and North Market Community Garden Flad & Grand, Russell and Grand Garden Ford School Garden Fountain Park Community Garden Fox Park Farm Fox Park Park Franz Park Community Garden Fresh Starts Community Garden Friends of Hamilton Village Friends of Soldiers Memorial Frog Garden Garden Aman Garden of Courage Garden of Eaten Garden of Eatin' Garden of Life Garden Patch GardenVille Grace Hill Riverfront Community Project Garden Gravois Park Gardens Hall Street Garden Hamilton Heights - Habitat For Humanity Hartford Place - A Fragrant Walking Park Haven of Grace Garden Hebert Community Garden Heritage House Garden Club Hodgen Elementary School Garden Hodiamont Community Garden Holly Hills Community Garden Holly Hills Parkway Garden Hope Square Community Garden Indiana Tender Garden Jefferson Avenue Medians Kabot Farm House Community Garden Karen House Garden Lady of Wells Community Garden Lafayette Park - Washington Monument Lafayette Square - Truman Parkway Lafayette Square Community Garden Lafayette Square Park - the Grotto Lewis Place Historical Preservation
Maffitt Cabbage Patch Garden Mallard Drive Community Garden Mann Community Garden Maple Community Garden Mark Twain Community Alliance Martin Meadow Community Garden Maryland-Boyle Community Garden Maryville Garden Apartments Mayberry Community Garden McKinley Heights McKinley Peace Garden McPherson Community Garden Metropolitan Apts. Village Garden Monsanto Family YMCA Community Garden Mount Pleasant Garden Neighborhood Garden of Hope Neighborhood Pride Garden New Roots Urban Farms & CSA O'Fallon Block Unit 1274 Community Garden Old Ferguson West Old North St. Louis Community Garden Our Neighborhood Garden Palm Street Tree and Flower Garden Partners Against Crime Garden (PAC) Patricia Fredrick Community Garden Religious Society of Friends Salem-in-Ballwin UMC Seeds of Change Community Garden Shaw Neighborhood Dog Park Sloan Memorial Garden Soulard Community Garden Soulard Restoration Garden Southside Wellness Center Garden Spanish Lake Community Garden St. Agnes Gardens St. Mark's at Riverview Gardens High School St. Pius V Parish Syracuse Community Garden Tilles Park Neighborhood Association Tower Grove East Community Garden Twillman House Community Garden Vito's Community Garden
W.O.M.B. Wayside Garden Webster-Rock Hill Ministries Wedgewood Bath and Tennis Club West Corner Community William L. Clay Senior Living Center Woman Spirit Inc. Wyman School Garden YOUTH GARDENS Ames VPA Butterfly Garden Barack Obama Elementary Garden Bayless Intermediate School Buder Elementary Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis Central Middle School City Garden Montessori Charter School Clay CEC Elementary School Columbia CEC Elementary School Cote Brilliante Dewey School Learning Garden Don Earl Early Childhood Dragon's Grove Eliot Chapel Nursery School Forest Park Montessori School Freedom School Garden Gateway Elementary & Middle School Hawthorn Student Garden Herbert Hoover Boys and Girls Club Holy Trinity School Garden Imagine College Prep International Welcome School Garden Juvenile Detention Center (JDC) Garden Kennard CJA Elementary School Lift for Life Academy Lyon@Blow Liger's Lair Mallinckrodt Academy Garden Maplewood Richmond Heights ECC Marcus Garvey (Stevens Middle School) Marvin Elementary Meramec Heights Garden
Missouri School For The Blind Garden Mullanphy ILC Elementary School Neuwoehner High School Nursery Foundation Garden Oak Hill eMints Academy Our Savior Lutheran Church & School Patrick Henry Downtown Academy School Community Garden Roger's Middle School Garden Sacred Heart Church School Shaw VPA School Garden Shenandoah Elementary School Shining Rivers School Simpson Elementary School Garden Soulard School Community Garden South City Community School Garden South City Family YMCA Southview School St. Ann Catholic School Garden St. Louis Catholic Academy St. Mary Magdalen School Steger 6th Grade Center Stix ECCI Elementary School Sumner High School Wyvetter Younge Middle School GROWING HEALTHY KIDS Ages & Stages Childcare Auntie's House Home Daycare Brown Bear Academy Daruby Early Learning Center Genesis Childcare LLC Grassroots Preschool/Daycare Guardian Angel Settlement JaVera Child Care Center Little Feet Home Child Care Magnolia Head Start/Grace Hill Settlement Premier Daycare Simms Childcare Stella Maris Child Center University City Children's Center
Bell Community & Demonstration Garden
Open every Saturday from 9am-1pm, March to November 3871 Bell Avenue, at Vandeventer two blocks north of Delmar Seasonal vegetable seedlings for only $1 a four pack
25¢ Vegetable Seed Packets, Free Flower Seeds! Select ornamental plants for community gardens
Seasonal availability
Borrow tools for large work days, tillers and lawn equipment
Free to GGI supported youth gardens projects. Available to member backyard gardeners.
advance notice required to borrow tools, with refundable deposit
Gardening ideas and advice from Gateway Greening staff and Master Gardener volunteers! Complete volunteer requirement hours & meet other gardeners Frequent Workshops, Educators, Rain Barrels, Season Extension Seasonal events like Harvest Fair and Great Perennial Divide
A little History of Bell Garden
Bell Garden was purchased by GGI in the 1990s with a vision to develop the lot into a “crown jewel”; Gateway’s demonstration garden and a focal point in the community.
Master Gardeners at Work
And Assorted Volunteers
Bell Community Gardeners
Bobbie Harrington, JoAnn Muhammad and Mack Hill at Bell.
City Seeds clients sow veggie seedlings
Hub Gardens
“Service providing” gardens to neighboring community and youth gardens. Offer similar services to Bell Garden
Strategically placed at different locations in the St. Louis area Currently we have 3 Hubs
Tool lending, Workshops, Seedlings, Demonstrations
Bell Demonstration and Community Garden 13th Street Community Garden Wayside Community Garden
2 more in development for 2011 and 2012, with the goal of having 7 Hub gardens.
13th Street Community Garden 2714 13th Street Old North St. Louis
Serves community and youth gardens in North City neighborhoods. Seedling Distribution Tool Loans Urban chickens Workshops and Events
415 Bermuda Rd. Normandy, MO 63121
Serves North County and parts of North City Seedling propagation Tool Loans Workshops and Events
How to Start a Community Garden
Any community greening or gardening project consists of three basic elements:
A group A garden site A plan
A Group of Neighbors
Group guidelines and considerations: Start
with at least ten adults. Who are the people in your group? Need a mix of ages and sexes What is the nature of the group? How much gardening experience does the group have?
Group guidelines and considerations: What
is the group’s motivation? How many hours of work can group members give for the project? Does the group have tools? Does the group have a central location for tool storage?
Site Selection Does
the site get at least six hours of direct sunlight per day during the spring, summer and fall? Does the site have access to water? How big is the site? Is the site relatively flat? How close is the garden to the people who plan to use it?
Site Selection Is the site visible? Can a truck gain access to the lot? How was the site used in the past? Do you suspect that the soil may be contaminated? What is the present use of the land? What is the lot’s history? Does it currently attract loitering, dumping or drug dealing? Do neighborhood youth use the land for recreation? Can you determine who owns the lot?
Site Selection
Compost & Mulch
Where does the water come from?
Fire Hydrant
Neighbor/Adjacent property
Offer produce or to pay portion of water bill
Rain barrel or rainwater collection system
Adapter available. Contact Alderperson to get deposit waiver from Water Department.
Possible assistance from other organizations
Irrigation
Low tech to high tech possibilities
Community Gardens Vegetable Ornamental Pocket
Park Medians/Street Entrances Tree Plantings And Your Creative Ideas
Citizens for the Advancement of Normandy
ď °
Intersection of Florissant and Natural Bridge Roads
Fall and North Market - Before
Fall and North Market - After
Mayberry Community Garden Before
Mayberry Community Garden After
The Nuts and Bolts
Garden Beds
Hardscape Elements
Raised Beds, Berms, Planters Requests include soil! Sheds, Compost Bins, Rain Water Collection, Benches, Picnic Tables, Arbors, Pavilions Anything That Isn’t Alive!
Tools
Be specific! Do you want a pitch fork or a digging fork? A hoe or a three-prong cultivator? We don’t know if you don’t tell us!
On Installation Day‌
The Importance of Volunteers
Community Garden Evaluation
Evaluation Worksheet – Complete a 1 pg. report of the year’s activities and accomplishments. We love to hear news of community gardens! Please notify us of events, triumphs, tribulations or anything exciting going on in your neighborhood. List of Gardeners – Annually submit an updated list of gardeners and contact information Photos –2-3 photos of garden to be used on the webpage, newsletter and in other media. Volunteer Hours Sheet – A total of 30 hours per group to be completed with GGI or another community garden. See application for more information. Vegetable Produce Weights for grant tracking purposes. Grant recipients will be provided with a produce scale. Garden Visits - GGI periodically visits projects. Visits usually take about an hour and can be held with any or the entire garden group. These visits can be used to ask questions, learn more about resources available to gardens, and report on successes and future plans.
Fundraising ď ° What
data we collect & Why we need it
Number of Gardeners: We report the total # of community gardeners for in grant reports and future grant proposal. Great indicator of who we serve. Age of Gardeners: City and State funding requires we target senior populations. lbs of Produce Grown: Missouri Foundation for Health report, future proposals, six site research study on health effects of community gardens Number of Vegetable & Ornamental Beds, Size of Garden Space: Gauges overall impact of community gardens in St. Louis Parcel ID#, Census Tract, Neighborhood, Ward: used to find resources, including organizations, alderpersons, and in the development of maps
ď ° The
Bottom Line
The data you provide helps us to raise funds which in turn allows us to continue to support your projects. Accountability to donors is key!
Other Community Garden Topics Insurance Security Fundraising Preserving
the Garden
Insurance Considerations
LRA (St. Louis city) holds itself harmless from any action, damages, liability and expenses which arise out of or are in any manner related to the Lessee’s use of the property. Community garden applicants are not required to provide proof of insurance. Gardens may independently pursue insurance coverage through an affiliate group, such as a Neighborhood Association.
Security Issues Recent St. Louis Post Dispatch article Natural fences of shrub roses, blackberries and barberries Fences can be aesthetic or for security Some gardens prefer to keep the space open to the community Plant more produce Signage helps Neighbors are your watchdogs
Additional Funding Ideas Community-based funds through community development block funds, local companies and foundations, neighborhood associations and garden clubs Independent fundraising through member dues and special events (e.g. plant sale) Competitive grants (e.g. Fiskars Project Orange Thumb for tools and infrastructure; National Gardening Association for money)
Preservation of the Garden
Land owner agreement or copy of LRA lease must be submitted in writing with community garden grant Established gardens threatened by development are invited to join the GGI Land Trust, a subsidiary nonprofit To do so, they must:
Meet selection criteria set out by the Trust Purchase the land at the market price Appoint two permanent garden leaders Sign an agreement promising to remain a community garden, or else land with revert to the city Pay a portion of $250 liability insurance, currently split between three gardens, with the goal of adding more
Lafayette Square and Soulard
Gateway Greening Events and Opportunities
Garden Leader Training Growing Gardeners Workshops
Tour de Plants Great Perennial Divide Harvest Fair
Garden Leader Training
Leadership 1-Day Workshop
Leadership 8-Week Series
Led by GGI staff Participants receive Leadership primer as well as tips and bestpractices taken from area gardens Held early 2011 conjunction with Growing Gardeners Designed for those interested in becoming active Hub participants Led by GGI staff and leadership professionals
Leadership Primer
Booklet of community garden leadership best practices
Tour De Plants
Harvest Fair
Food and fun every fall
The Great Perennial Divide
Additional GGI resources available to assist with the application process Garden library Numerous examples of community garden guidelines, policies and bylaws Copies of horticulture handouts ACGA workshop curriculum Assistance in contacting aldermen and other city officials Network of Master Gardener volunteers Network of community gardeners