Jukebox Heroes vs. The Community Garden

...Welcome!

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We are a team of students from UW Bothell who have designed this site as a resource for anyone in the Pacific Northwest (and beyond?) who wants to start a community garden in a school. Find out more about us here.


Community Gardening is a growing phenomenon (excuse the pun), especially in our region. By working with other dedicated people, you can develop a strong network of people who have the power to shape the environment around you, experiment freely, and of course harvest the most nutritious, best-tasting produce you've ever known.

Some benefits to a school community garden include:

• Individuals come together to work towards a common goal and create a focus on an activity with positive outcomes. These include:

• Beautification. This makes the community a more pleasant and relaxing place to live in and improves the value of surrounding real estate.

• Reduced crime. Research shows that the presence of community gardens result in decreased vandalism, littering, and crime.

• Food security. Community gardens can increase the availability of fresh fruits and vegetables – especially important in areas with limited access to grocery stores and farmers' markets.

• Environmental improvements. In urban areas, gardens add to community green space, which can reduce stormwater runoff and provides habitat for pollinators and other wildlife.

• Economic benefits. Community gardeners can supplement their incomes by selling produce from their plots.

• Improved health. Gardening has been shown to contribute to participants' mental and physical health.

Schools provide a unique opportunity as well as significant challenges. We have information on how to get started and get your local school to accept your project idea. We also share with you the first-hand experiences of people who have helped coordinate and facilitate new school gardens -- those that have succeeded wonderfully and those that have sadly been neglected (and of course what you can do to make sure your garden succeeds!

Finally, we offer resources so you can access the information you need on gardening in our corner of the US.

We are also working closely with the Snohomish County WSU Extension office. Their mission:

"Washington State University Extension engages people, organizations and communities to advance knowledge, economic well-being and quality of life by fostering inquiry, learning, and the application of research."

In other words, Extension serves as an incredible resource for all community members. Extension offers tons of free classes and access to nearly unlimited information including the following programs: 4-H (for youth), Horticulture, Families, Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Home and garden. Their Master Gardeners program, which trains volunteers through a series of in-depth courses, has created several "expert volunteers" that help anyone who's interested in gardening.