From improving access to fruits and vegetables to educating people on how food is grown, community gardens offer many benefits to the place you call home. Grass to Garden is a Purdue Extension Signature Program co-led by members from both the Agriculture and Natural Resources and Community Development Educator teams to bring Indiana residents together and teach tactics on how to start a community-based garden. Using an interdisciplinary approach, the Purdue Extension Grass to Garden Signature Program aims to provide information focused on more than just growing plants by strengthening agricultural and community development efforts, resulting in healthier communities with improved access to local food.
Grass to Garden is a four-part (12-hour) workshop geared towards non-profit employees, local officials, community volunteers, and garden enthusiasts who struggle to find the tools they need to make their gardens community-driven, successful, and sustainable.
In this session, participants will serve as an Introduction to Community Gardens and Pre-Garden Planning Techniques, including:
This session focuses on establishing Garden Policies and developing the Community Engagement Plan. More specifically, participants will:
The primary objectives for this session are to focus on community garden site selection and preparation, as well as to:
In the final session, participants will learn how to effectively grow and harvest the fruits of their labor by:
To learn more about the Grass to Garden program and schedule a workshop, please contact a team member below.
Name | Job Title | Phone | |
---|---|---|---|
Karen Mitchell | Consumer Horticulture Extension Specialist | (765)494-1311 | mitcheka@purdue.edu |
Laurynn Thieme | Agriculture and Natural Resources Educator, Delaware County | (765)747-7732 | ljthieme@purdue.edu |
Katje Armentrout | Community Development Educator, Tippecanoe County | (765)474-0793 | armentro@purdue.edu |