2024 CHICAGO - School Garden Assistance

Supporting your school garden is important to us, and Illinois Extension’s horticulture team will do our best to serve you in 2024. We will be able to consult with you remotely and provide you with invaluable resources via our School Garden Resources website. However, staff time for on-site visits is limited.

When considering a school garden, Illinois Extension recommends educating yourself, securing/preparing your sponsors and recruiting volunteers and students to participate in nurturing the garden. Before implementing a school garden we recommend having at least five dedicated garden supporters (may include parents, teachers, school garden coordinators, administrators) that are willing to assist with the garden program.

There are many benefits to be obtained in a school garden project and University of Illinois Extension is here to help! Please complete the following form to help us understand the scope of the project and make proper recommendations for the site. We can then attempt to recruit Master Gardener volunteers to provide guidance for your specific garden project.

Registrations submitted after 3/15/2024 for on-site consultations will be scheduled for summer/fall 2024 assistance.

NOTE: To make the most of on-site visits, we are implementing a school and community garden training. Priority will be given to those organizations that attend our virtual training workshop sessions Feb 15, 2024 -basic info, Feb 22, 2024 -Vegetables gardens basic and advanced, Feb 29, 2024 Ornamental Gardens and Curriculum. Register for the training or contact Margaret at mburnswe@illinois.edu for further information on the School and Community Garden trainings.

Contact Information

First Name

Last Name

Street Address

Street Address 2

City

State

ZIP

Daytime Phone

Evening Phone

E-mail Address

School Name and Address

What is your goal or purpose for this project? learning, edibles, ornamental, production, conservation, food donation

What is the age group or grade level to be served?

K through 2nd grade

3rd grade through 6th grade

7th grade through 8th grade

High School

How many teachers and/or administrators are involved in this project?

1 to 2

3 to 5

6 to 10

10+

How many parents and/or community members are involved in this project?

1 to 3

4 to 6

6 to 10

10+

How many students are involved in this project?

1 to 5 students

6 to 10 students

11 to 20 students

20+ students

What type of garden are you considering?

Planting in soil

Raised beds

Containers

What type of plants are you planning to grow?

Edible Plants, e.g. vegetables, herbs

Ornamental Plants, e.g. annuals, perennials, natives

Both edibles and ornamentals

What are the dimensions of the growing area in sq. ft.? can include garden pathways in estimate, exclude peripheral space such as grassy areas or sidewalks

What is the available sunlight?

1 to 3 hours

4 to 5 hours

6 to 9 hours

Is there vegetation on site? weeds or plants that should be removed

Yes

No

If you intend to grow edibles directly in soil, have you had the soil tested?

Yes

No

How far is your water source from the garden? Examples- within the garden or 20 feet away

Estimated installation date?

How many years has this garden existed? Please not if pre-dates your involvement.

new garden

2-4 years

5-10 years

unsure

Has written permission been granted by administration/land owner to have a garden on this site?

Who will fund the garden? Select all that apply.

Administration

Parents

Community Sponsorship

Grants

Other

If "other" please describe sources of funding.

Who will install and maintain the garden? Select all that apply.

Administration

Teachers

Students

Parents

Other

If "other" please detail.

Do you plan to have a garden growing during the summer and if so, who will maintain the garden over the summer months? Example- scheduled parent or community groups; summer school

Level of experience in gardening 1 thru 10 1 being new to gardening 10 being advanced

What is needed from Extension?

Getting started - a garden plan

Knowledge about gardening

Resources/Grants

Plant and insect identification

Master Gardener volunteer support

Implementing curriculum

In partnership with Forest Preserves of Cook County, Illinois Extension offers a Conservation@Home certification program in which Master Gardeners and Naturalists provide mentorship for school and community gardens. If interested in mentorship on native vegetation, water and wildlife conservation and environmental curriculum, please click 'yes' below. School certification criteria found at: go.illinois.edu/schoolcriteria

Yes

No

How did you hear about our programming?

If you attended our school garden training, please list the date: (If not, type "none")

Please share any additional notes or comments about the project or site.

I understand that currently, University of Illinois Extension is not requiring our volunteers to be vaccinated against COVID-19, nor will we be asking for proof of vaccination in any capacity. Rather, we ask those who volunteer at partner sites to follow the guidelines/mandates set by that partner. Continuing to volunteer with partner sites that are mandating vaccination is determined by the individual volunteer. We are aware of current vaccination mandates designated by some of our partners and those partners will be responsible for ensuring volunteers are compliant with their policies. When we share volunteer opportunities from our partners, we will be sure to share any partner requirements for serving in that role.

Yes, I understand.

Civil Rights Compliance - Participant Info

As part of our commitment to providing equal opportunities in our programming, University of Illinois Extension is required to collect and report overall statistics about the race, ethnicity, and gender of program participants. Your responses are voluntary and appreciated.

Gender

Ethnicity

Race