I have always had a fondness for gardening, and after becoming Co-President of my high school’s Green Team, I yearned for a way to share this passion with the rest of my peers. As such, I aimed for the creation of a school garden, and along with generous assistance from Neighborhood Small Grants, the school administration, and my fellow club members, it was made successful.
So far, six plots have been created (although I hope for more in the future) and they are going to be distributed among different members of my community. One will be designated for members of the Green Team, where we will plant during our weekly meetings. Another two will be for school use, such as outdoor learning for any Home Economic Foods classes. Lastly, the rest of the plots will be open to any members of the community. Anyone will be able to apply (through Google Forms) and garden, as long as they show sufficient dedication to the upkeep of their crops. Basic gardening tools, a water supply, and other necessities will be provided.
To ensure the safety and health of our garden, we have also established several rules that everyone who wishes to use our plots must follow, they are:
- All gardening must be done in your designated planting spot
- Any damage done to the garden must be paid for
- Please respect other’s gardening, vandalism will not be tolerated
- Your plants are your responsibility, please take care of them accordingly
- Only chemical-free gardening is allowed
Furthermore, we have signed up for the Urban Roots Giving Gardens program, where they will be kindly donating 126 starter plants to us, consisting of many varieties such as tomatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, bell peppers, chives, basil, oregano, spinach, butter lettuce, romaine lettuce, strawberries, kale, parsley, and cucumber. Through their sincere help, the Green Team aims to promote better food literacy and sustainable eating among the community, as well as donate some of our crops to the Richmond Food Bank in order to combat food insecurity.
Urban Roots donation will be available for pickup starting on April 25th or 26th, and it is then where we will begin gardening. In the meantime, I aim to provide informational presentations on the basic aspects of gardening (whether by my own research, or contacting professionals), so that when the time does come, everyone will be sufficiently prepared. I, as well as everyone who has contributed to the creation of this garden (whom I am very grateful for), are all extremely excited for this project, as we see it as a benefit to our school and community for many years to come.
