School & Community Gardens
Master Gardeners can help
Master Gardeners volunteers can't help with garden maintenance or labor, but they can do garden consultations, plant diagnosis and garden related education for garden leaders and members, among other educational services. You can contact the Master Gardener Program at mcce-mastergardenerprogram@email.arizona.edu
Find volunteers
Before you put a shovel to the ground, it's important to find other like-minded people to help. This could include parents, teachers, administration and school maintenance. From this larger group you can create a committee to share the workload.
Set Goals
Develop a set of measurable objectives. Start with four or five basic goals to accomplish in the first year and one or two for the second year.
Create a Timeline
Creating a timeline to start, maintain or upgrade a school garden can contribute to your success. But beware, often these projects take longer than expected or end up costing more than planned.
Annual Review
A short report should be presented to the principal and can also be shared with your PTO, in your school school newsletter or other supporting organizations to help build interest and support.
Maricopa School Garden Map
Master Gardeners have developed a map of seed libraries and school and community gardens in Maricopa County. This is not a definitive listing, but an ever-growing and changing map. If you do not see your school or community garden, please contact us at maricopa-co-gardens@arizona.edu.