Garden Program
Welcome to the Home Gardening Programing!
The goal of this program is to provide resources and know-how to individuals and families interested in growing some of their own food. In this way, the power to grow fresh, nutritious, chemical-free vegetables is in the hands of those who wish to eat them!
Our interest is in your success! Stop by and see us, or give us a call anytime. We welcome questions, ideas and visits of all shapes and sizes! Contact us
There are many ways to get involved in the Home Garden Program:
Let us know How Your Garden Grows!
Every season we assist hundreds of local gardeners to get the knowledge and materials they need to start growing some of their own food. But after you leave the workshop or pick up your seeds, we’ve never been able to find out if your gardens were successful- until now!
We want to know more about what is working in your gardens and what we could do to better support you. Please take a moment to fill out an online survey and use comment sections to let us know your ideas! If you’d like a hard copy of the survey we’d be happy to send it to you in the mail. Tell your friends!
Garden Program Topics
Technical Assistance and the Gardening Co-operative
Material Assistance and Membership
Become a member of the Home Gardening Program! Anyone can join, just call or stop by the Community Food Resource Center. Registration is easy and free (donations accepted) and gives you access to:
- Free vegetable and flower seeds! (4 times/year)
- Starter plants (when available)
- Free compost (one time for starting a vegetable garden)
- Various other helpful garden materials at low cost (shade cloth, bird netting, etc.)
- Tools to borrow
- Newsletter
- Printed material on desert gardening, pest identification, composting, water-saving strategies, raising chickens, native plant harvesting and more! See our planting guide to find out the best of time of year to plant your favorite veggies in Tucson!
Members can get involved to help gardening grow: spread the word about gardening workshops, help others dig new gardens, donate plants, seeds, compost to the program, as well as, cash donations or volunteering at the Food Bank.
- Check out the workshop calendar
- Through hands-on activities and conversations, learn the basics of designing and caring for a new garden in our desert climate.
- On site in “Nuestra Tierra” garden at the Community Food Bank and at the Marana Heritage Farm
- Learn more about other gardening resources.
- Contact us to sign up (622-0525 ext. 263). Space is limited.
Technical Assistance, Gardening Co-operative
The cooperative is a way for you to get help with the work installing a new garden or expanding your existing garden. When you are able to complete the requirements below, we can organize a “digging party” at your house that will include Food Bank Staff, other Home Gardeners and volunteers. This way we all get more experience gardening, share the hard work of digging a new garden, and get to know each other better!
Requirements:
- Attend 3 basic workshops on gardening.
- Support the installation of another garden. (You can support in many different ways like bringing food to share, bringing tools, digging, sharing your plants or gardening knowledge, cleaning up after the work day, etc.)
- Eligibility is based on income. Please contact us for more information.
If you are a home gardener and would like to sell some of your produce, check out our Community Foods Consignment page.
Do you have vegetable gardening experience and want to support others in your community? Become a Garden Mentor!
The Food Bank pairs Mentors with new gardeners in the Home and School Gardening Programs.
- Mentors commit to supporting a new gardener for two growing seasons.
- Once a month, Mentors call or visit the gardener’s home to provide advice, tips, or hands-on help.
- Mentors don’t have to know all the answers, just help new gardeners find them!
The Food Bank provides:
- Mentor training and orientation
- Garden materials
- Ongoing support during the mentorship process
We strive to partner Mentors with someone in their neighborhood. Mentors can also recruit and support their friends, family, or neighbors through this mentorship.
The mentor training and orientation will be in January 2011.
For further information or to sign up as a Garden Mentor contact Brook Bernini at 520-622-0525 ext 267 or bbernini@communityfoodbank.org
Garden Promoters are experienced gardeners who want to increase their skills and help teach others. Promoters will be offered advanced workshops on different topics such as cooking, rain water harvesting, group facilitation, and specialty gardening and will commit to promoting gardening programs and assisting beginning gardeners in their neighborhoods. Please contact us for more information.
If you have other questions about your garden or suggestions about workshop topics or the program please contact us!
Contact:
Home Garden Coordinator, Luis Herrera, 622-0525, x264, lherrera@communityfoodbank.com
Food Production Education Coordinator, Melissa Mundt, 622-0525, x263 mmundt@communityfoodbank.com
