Where to start
Who this part is for, and what to read first.
A garden on an institution's property answers to that institution's rules, calendar, insurance and staff. Each guide here starts from that fact.
Pick the guide that matches your host first. School gardens have three: the main guide, food safety, and the summer-maintenance plan, which is worth writing before the first summer break. If the garden grows mainly to give food away, read the food-bank and donation garden guide alongside the guide for your host.
A sensible first three
- The Definitive School Garden GuideFor a school, begin with the main school guide.
- Garden Programs for Houses of WorshipFor a congregation, begin here.
- Food-Bank and Donation GardensFor a giving garden, plan from the recipient.
The guides
School and Institutional Gardens: 8 guides.
The Definitive School Garden Guide
Build a safe, teachable and durable school garden with clear ownership, site review, food safety, summer care, curriculum, budgets and annual continuity.
Read the guide
School Garden Food Safety
Operate a school garden food-safety system from site and water through harvest, hygiene, traceability, classroom tasting and school-meal handoff.
Read the guide
The School Garden Summer-Maintenance Plan
Build a school garden summer-maintenance plan with an appropriate operating strategy, campus access, water, duty coverage, heat safety and fall handoff.
Read the guide
Garden Programs for Houses of Worship
Build and sustain a garden program at a house of worship with clear authority, participation rules, insurance, volunteer systems, food pathways and leadership continuity.
Read the guide
Community Gardens for Apartments and HOAs
Plan and operate an apartment, condominium or HOA community garden with clear land authority, resident rules, water costs, access, accessibility and turnover.
Read the guide
Library and Civic-Center Gardens
Build a library or civic-center garden as a durable public program with clear authority, access, procurement, volunteers, accessibility and continuity.
Read the guide
Senior and Accessible Community Gardens
Build a senior and accessible community garden around real users, with usable routes, adaptable tasks, rest, tools, heat safety, transportation and program continuity.
Read the guide
Food-Bank and Donation Gardens
Build a donation garden around recipient demand, harvest timing, food safety, storage, transport, volunteer capacity, rejection handling and feedback.
Read the guide
The rest of the library
The other eight parts.
Part 1 of 9
Start Here
Choose the right responsibility before choosing the next article.
Part 2 of 9
Find and Join
Locate a garden, judge fit, understand obligations and enter intelligently.
Part 3 of 9
Master Your Plot
Build the growing skills that transfer directly to a community plot.
Part 4 of 9
Start a Garden
Build land, access, infrastructure and operating systems before opening day.
Part 5 of 9
Run the Garden
Maintain governance, volunteers, continuity and annual operating discipline.
Part 7 of 9
Community Capacity
Build recurring systems that help gardeners teach, share and maintain useful resources.
Part 8 of 9
Resilience and Failure
Prepare for predictable disruptions and recover without pretending every problem is preventable.
Part 9 of 9
Use and Preserve the Harvest
Choose a preservation route that matches the food, evidence and safety controls.