Grant Questions + Answers

How will you involve members of the community in planning, installing and caring for the garden? How many people will be directly involved? Describe plans for service-learning, neighborhood beautification or entrepreneurial projects connected to the garden. What other organization(s) is/are currently, or will potentially be providing assistance for your garden? Specifically, what kind of support would you receive from each group.

The intention of the garden is to be completely for the community, and a huge amount of planning and effort thus far has been to involve and communicate with as many people as possible.

Planning activities and communications included:
1.Obtaining the support of the Sycamore Hills Residents Association
2.An introduction and proposal in the community newsletter, followed by a personal visit of 230 houses by two garden planners to offer information about the community garden idea, and to request neighbor feedback
3.84 surveys, calls, and emails that came in after those visits were organized and formed into easily accessible graphs
4.An initial community garden meeting was held that supporting documents to all those in the community
5.Prospective community gardeners went on a garden tour of six local community gardens to help better plan the Sycamore Hills Community Garden
6.A follow up meeting to design the garden based on the survey information and garden tour findings. A beautiful and inclusive garden design was agreed upon

In summary, at this point, thirty one households are directly involved in with the community garden meetings and planning. Five community members have enlisted as co-planners, which entails a large amount of planning, communicating, and follow through on the garden creation process.

There are many plans in the works to use the garden as a jumping off point for service learning, beautification, and entrepreneurial projects. The service learning component is already in place with the plans to participate in the ?Grow a Row for the Hungry? program. A wonderful extension of this plan will be to go to the pantry/food kitchen and help prepare and serve the food the Sycamore Hills Community Garden has grown and donated. In addition, it would be wonderful to see the garden be used as a cooking class site, where a portable camp stove could be used to show how to prepare the food from the garden in healthy and delicious meals. In addition, gardeners could use the garden to host lessons and lectures about best practices, helpful strategies, and question and answer sessions.

The garden will beautify a large city park that is 75% open and has an unused field. In addition, plants could be divided to share with neighbors and beautify the entrance ways. The garden will also serve as a beautiful walking area and meeting place for the neighborhood. Art will also be a big part of this garden in the future. Statues, mosaics, signage, and murals will all be welcomed in the garden and will increase the beauty that the garden holds all year round.

Entrepreneurial projects that are under discussion involve organizing a teen gardening program that would encourage teens to become entrepreneurs. Teens could be encouraged to make connections with local restaurants and grow selected produce for their clients. Their work could help to fund their education or the garden, and would teach important skills. In addition, a teen garden training program could be developed. The goals of this program would include instruction on communication skills, garden knowledge, professionalism, and budgeting that would help them to become paid or volunteer caretaker for other gardens.

These following organizations are currently in communication concerning partnerships with the garden:

1.Volunteering: Columbus Police and Fire Departments, Christian Fellowship Church, Mayfair Village Retirement Center, Gables Elementary School, OSU Master Gardeners, Bishop Watterson High School.
2.Donations: Franklin Park Conservatory Growing to Green Program, Columbus Parks and Recreation Department, Straders Garden Center, Grainger, Rain Brothers.