How could the internet/social networking/technology help more people to plant gardens of their own?

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Permalink Reply by Chris Bocchino on February 7, 2009 at 3:15pm

I feel like the main reason that people aren't gardening is because they have a preconceived idea that gardening takes up a large portion of time when infact it really doesn't. Yes the initial set up of a garden takes a bit of time but once that stage is over its really only minutes a day or every other day. If we could somehow show people that it really doesn't take a huge amount of time then I thing we would get over the biggest hurdle.

The second biggest hurdle I feel is culture. We have lived in a society where most people have never grown anything nor have their parents. Most of my friends would have to go ask their grandparents for advise and most don't have their grandparents living any longer (thankfully I have all 4 of mine). Hell I learned how to garden from my grandfather, my father and mother never had a garden until I built one in their yard in grade school. I think this would be a big hurdle as well. Most of the kids that my son has over to play are stunned to actually get to see how broccoli, carrots, and onions grow, and most from what I have observed have never seen a tomato plany as well.
If we could somehow get it through to people that gardening isn't done with the use of magic!

The third hurdle is getting through to people that you really don't need a large piece of land to grow a substantial garden for a family of four. It doesn't have to be huge and it doesn't have to be in the grount. There is a large number or groups out there that are promoting this urban gardening/container gardening.

I think that a school garden is one of the best ideas I have seen in a long while in todays schools. There is so much that a child can learn from working in a garden. You really can cover all subjects within the realm of a garden. You have to know math so you can map out your garden, count seeds, seedlings, measure inches when thinning plants, counting harvests, rows, anything.

Science classes could also use the garden. You have germination, pollenation, decomposition, crop covers, crop rotation, PH levels, natural selection, hybrids, cross pollenation, nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium, different types of soils, all the animals that visit the garden from bees to aphids (I could go on).

Geography could use it to point out where the plants originated, who is the biggest producer of certain vegetables, what different vegetables grow better in different climates, population density.

History could use it as a tool to point out how the Victory Gardens during WWII accounted for more than 20% of the vegetables grown in the US during the war, how different societies were built on crops such as the southern plantations of the US.

Even economics could use it to explain deminishing marginal utilities, value, cost, capital, labor, profits, losses, supply and demand.

Now that I am thinking about it there really should be a garden in every school, not only would it help in all these subjects but it would also overcome all the hurdles that I can think of. Think about it............a school garden in most schools would have to be small to moderate size which would show students that you really don't need a large piece of land to garden on. Your could go over different techniques like container/raisd bed gardening, vertical gardening etc. It would take the mystery out of it for most people since they were taught how to do it, and all the students would come to relize that it really doesnt take up all that much time. I think this would be the best way to get people to begin gardening at home. I think a campaign of some sort to promote a garden in every school would be amamzing, hell a garden in 10 sachools would even be a great start. Hey they teach Home Economics still why not Kitchen Gardening as a class. I can only imagine that the SAT test in the future would most certainly have to have a gardening section on it...........

Roger your second idea about the retirement homes having a garden is a great one. I'm sitting here trying to figure out why more don't have one. Most elderly people that I know do infact garden to some extent either for pleasure, out of habit, or because the tomatoes in the grocery store have no flavor and cost more than they are willing to pay. I am wondering it any retirement homes here in my home town would be willing to do such a thing, I wonder if any of the schools here would be open to the idea after hearing how useful it could be. It would be neat to have school gardens where the produce is donated to soup kitchens of girls and boys homes. I'm really interested to see where this goes and what other here think on the subject.......................Chris

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Permalink Reply by Phillip on February 9, 2009 at 1:20pm

"Roger your second idea about the retirement homes having a garden is a great one. I'm sitting here trying to figure out why more don't have one."
After years of running a rescue mission and soup kitchen I can tell you why. Over regulation. Soup kitchens and any group like school lunch programs, nursing homes,retirement homes are not allowed to accept and serve non USDA inspected foods. If the program recieves USDA funding for the foods it must come with a "Nutrition Facts" label or sheet. If the food you provide does not have one then the kitchen will loose funding or get fined.
You want to talk about disconnected from reality! " I had families come to my soup kitchen for a free meal, many had been "dumpster diving" for food scraps. Yet there was no concern on the part of health officials, but my soup kitchen had to meet the same health standards and equipment standards as a five star hotel. Make sure I did not poison people for sure, but is the dumpster safe? You want to have your heart broken? Listen to a bunch of kids talk about which restaruants throw out the best stuff.
I can go on and on about all the things I have tried over the last 20 years. I am sure you do not want to hear it all, just suffice it to say I believe gardening is a key to reversing a cycle of hunger. I also have come to the conclusion that any solution has to come from the populace (grass roots) and not legislated and regulated.
I apologize for any offense if there is one.

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Permalink Reply by Michelle Becker on April 2, 2009 at 12:45pm

Hey Phillip,
I was talking to my sister in the state of Maine, who heads up her local Farmer's Market and participates as a Market Gardener and she tells me that there's an interesting Federal Program that involves paying market gardeners a stipend to supply food to the elderly, infirm or impoverished. I'm not exactly sure how it works but I think it goes something like this: The Market Gardener (Joe's Organics, lets say) obtains 65 subscriptions from individuals and families that receive public aid. Joe sends them to this Federal Program and the Feds send him an authorized list. He then distributes this food (or sets up a distribution arrangement) and at the end of the season he is compensated at market value for the food he has distributed.
That's all I know, but its interesting. If you want I'll ask my sister to tell me more about it the next time we speak.

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Permalink Reply by Sue G on April 4, 2009 at 6:23pm

Senior Farmshare is a great idea but seriously underfunded. The current benefit is a $50 voucher for the senior for the whole season. For that, the grower has to fill out a ridiculous amount of paperwork, which is a real disincentive. I am a small market grower in Maine and considered this last year, but I knew I wouldn't be able to keep up with the record-keeping. If the benefit were $100 of vegetables for the season (which it used to be) it would make a huge difference in the program's viability and the number of small producers that could participate.

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Permalink Reply by Penelope on February 14, 2009 at 11:40am

some schools here in town have gardening projects, and our county jail also has a garden that inmates work. at least i think it's still there. i haven't checked it out for the past couple of years.

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Permalink Reply by Ann G. on February 7, 2009 at 10:59pm

I teach high school ecology and biology, along with AP environmental science. I use gardening as part of my curriculum. I have personal philosophical reasons for that, but also practical reasons. I discovered, to my dismay, a HUGE disconnect while teaching summer school this past summer. Our average teenagers are so completely embedded in their technology and their passive lifestyle of having everything delivered to them, that it is deeply troubling. If our economy were to head in the direction of an economic depression (which I feel is highly likely), my students and their families would not have the skills to survive because that passive, high-tech lifestyle would be over. I teach using my gardens and my own organic farm efforts because knowing those things is just good economics, not just something to do as a hobby. Tying it to survival and even thriving is key. Gardening and stewardship of the land is practical environmentalism AND it is smart for the wallet.

My gardens at school combine the efforts of my science classes, the special ed classes, the local food bank, some willing farmers, and an assisted living home. We are tied to Slow Foods Nation, too. Connects are very important to success of this sort of thing.

Provide sources for funding, grants. Ideas for approaching businesses to develop partnerships.

Ann

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Permalink Reply by chris w on February 7, 2009 at 11:27pm

I may not be answering this right but what KGI/Internet in general offers a chance for people to learn from the experiences of others. My family has pretty much all passed away through unexpected events so I have no one to ask questions to - KGI is a great place for me to learn about what works for people, things they tried that didn't work, etc. I look to youtube for information as well as other webpages. I like KGI the best because it driven by the community members (not one particular person/business/company, etc.) It is inspirational because real people load up their pictures and I can see how their gardens look. I really like the pictures of 'alternative' gardening because the classic rows of plants in the ground does not work for me. I also like the community feel of it. I think this type of support is needed, particularly in this world of fractionated lives and disinfranchisement.

Barriers that people have shared with me recently for their gardening (lack of): pests eating everything up, time committment, and what has not been said but must be there - they must not understand how much better home grown food tastes.... they would rather go to a store and have instant food. (amazing) I think it really adds up to a lack of knowlege and they don't know where to go for more information. We have an extension office in our small town but it is focused on the 'rows of plants in the ground' type of gardening.

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Permalink Reply by Ann G. on February 7, 2009 at 11:57pm

Another barrier has been years...no, decades...of miseducation regarding gardening. People literally believe that you can stick a plant in the ground or in a pot and water it, give a chemical, then it will produce the flowers, or the fruit, or just the lovely green that you desire. Basic education and reeducation. Topics like cover crops, exactly what is involved with composting and mulching, and other sustainable practices. A 'how-to' of sorts.

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Permalink Reply by Joy Williams on February 8, 2009 at 5:41am

HI Roger!

Honestly, Chris has addressed this so well, it's hard to think of anything else. He's covered just about everything. So have Annie C. and Chris. the only thing I would add is that I think we need to bring up soil health and Mycorrhiza and it's importance to root growth. I know this is minutia, but it's important minutia. I would also bring up the importance of talking to local sources of wonderful compost. I'm an alpaca rancher and would be happy to share for FREE my manure, because I'm getting a lot of it. And it's great for gardens. And it doesn't have to age.

I will have to go on craigs list again. :)

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Permalink Reply by Safira on February 18, 2009 at 7:34pm

Darn, wish you weren't on the other side of the country, Joy. I'd be glad to take some of that brown gold off your hands! We're starting a new bed in what was once clearly fill (i.e., a typical suburban lawn here in New England, where they carted the good soil away to sell to people in richer communities!) and need all the help we can get.

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Permalink Reply by Tamra on February 8, 2009 at 9:40am

Chris makes 3 great points. The one I would add is that many people don't eat vegetables. They think they don't like them. I teach classes on eating seasonally. When I do winter veggies, people are amazed to see how much better a collard or turnip tastes straight from the garden, verses one from the grocery, harvested weeks earlier. So some how we have to get people to try good veggies.

there is a KGI member, Ilex,
http://my.kitchengardeners.org/profile/Holly
growing most of her food on her balcony. She blogs about it here
http://homesteadinginacondo.blogspot.com/
she might be a great resource for Chirs' 3rd point

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Permalink Reply by Snowshiva on February 8, 2009 at 10:39am

Roger you asked why we think people aren't gardening to begin with, and as much as it pains me to say it but its because they don't want to. Gardening and growing food is a pleasure, a pass-time, and its one that I, you, and everyone on this site enjoy. As far as I can tell most people feel that they work hard enough during the 9 to 5 job that they do not want to be out getting their hands dirty when they can grab a Tesco/Wal-mart/Asda ready-meal.

I have worked in education for a while, and pretty much all the kids and parents want instant gratification, if they do not see a positive result within a day they loose interest. As a society here in the UK we have become very self centred and materialistic, the kids and young adults that I work with are more concerned with playstations and microwave burgers than the quality of there food or how the animal was treated during its life.

Its not positive but I feel that if you want to make a change (and goodness knows how much I believe our cities need it) you need all the facts and nothing ever works if you go into it with rose tinted glasses on.

Right that's my unhappy part out the way out the way.

As a newbie myself the biggest problem so far has been finding a way to choose which veg to grow, when they should be planted and harvested for my location and space. I think to create an interactive, visual grow guide and/or journal could help beginners get started and feel less intimidated. A drag and drop, layout design that updated a printable guide for each variety chosen would allow the user information directly applicable to them.

Ann G is absolutely correct, education is the key and that comes from parents and society not just schools.

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