7 Ways to Find Grants for Community Gardens

Oregano in blossom

Looking for resources to fund the local comuunity garden can be compared to looking for the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.But that gold is there, say all leprechauns. To begin,take the time to look at municipal-sponsored gardens and greenhouses on the web (NJ) and see how others support their community resouces.

Examples of NJ Municipal Greenhouses from the Internet
Maplewood NJ greenhouse contains some ideas that could be adapted to Teaneck: These include renting out spaces to citizens, first come, first served, for vegetable and plant growing. Greenhouses are on town property and maintained financially and otherwise by the Garden Club. This club, started in the 30s,received a national award for the effort.Belmar, NJ: Magical Gardens Started in the 80s. Municipally supported. Club also rents space to people for gardens, as well as indoors.

Grant Resources: You have to dig in here, with a focus on looking for grant opportunities that meet your purposes. Grants get given for limited periods of time, for specific purposes and usually getting one is quitecompetitive.< You will be filling out an application

Usually, grants from the US or State governments are given to groups with well established reputations (university, research, etc.) An exception is in education, in which numerous mini-grants are tied to elementary education. Community groups are eligible for some. Any such award would need members who know how to write curriculum and specify standards.

Learn about proposal writing: A Foundation Center Free Course Online. Then the resources will make more sense.
In the past, have downloaded a number of proposals that show good ideas that won grants. One was to use computer heat to warm up a greenhouse (Indiana, 2009.) If you are interested, write me (urbanherban@hotmail.com.)


State links: The New Jersey Agriculture Dept. has information, case studuies, descipyions of projects and several specific kinds of grant opportunities.There are qualifications, deadlines and forms to examine on your quest.

Federal links: This is the largest grants database available for free. The Foundation Center’s database costs $2,000 a year to support looking for opportunities in the corporate and non-profit world.

Look at qualifications, forms, amounts, and deadlines:http://www.grants.gov/ Estimate what to start with--usually, a well thought out problem statement or proposal.


Associations: Some garden associations have mini-grants for working with children. Connect with The National Gardening Association of America and look at their listing of grants. Kids Gardening has a listing of these on http://www.kidsgardening.com/grants.asp.



University Databases: Rutgers Agricultural Sciences Subject Guide.You will find ideas in the databases assembled (horticulture, environment, water use, etc.).

Corporate Resources. Considering the amount of literature from companies done with university partners for energy efficiency, it is smart to look at company and university research literature. For instance, if you use “drip irrigation“ as a search in Google, will find Center for Irrigation Technology. Look at what is being funded and by whom. It can inform your proposal,

Beyond Databases: One Specific Book. Foundation Directory. Part 2: Guide to Grant Programs, $25,000-$100,000. Call Number: REF 061 FOU PART 2 2009 ED This directory includes foundations by name, state, subject---and has material on what organizations were funded, with how much in funds. Restrictions in funding are listed. You will be surprised how many small foundations there are, as well as the activities they support.

Herb Recipe: Dog Biscuits with Parsley

Deserving Dog One: Buddy

Deserving Dog One Wakldo
Deserving DogTwo: Waldo

“FRESHEN-UP” PARSLEY DOG BISCUITS

Parsley is one of the few things that are plentiful in
gardens now---let it go to the dogs!These are
treats for pups-and owners.Fresh doggie breathe
is a possibility!
2 cups whole wheat flour, or more as needed
1 cup shredded carrots
1/4 cup shredded peeled apple
2 1/2 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
1 cup warm water
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, carrots, apple, honey and parsley, then add the warm water. Mix thoroughly. If the dough is sticky, add more flour.

Turn the dough out onto a floured board and roll into a circle 1/4 inch thick. Cut out biscuits with a boneshaped cookie cutter and place on a nonstick
baking sheet.

Bake the biscuits for 9 to 12 minutes, depending on the size, until the edges are brown. Let cool on a rack, then pass out the biscuits -----as
deserved.
(From Chester Garden Club.http://homelandia.net/blogs/cgclub_blog/archive/2008/08/25/
Recipes-for-Goodies.aspx )

Chronicles of an Herb Garden: The Original & 2009 Lists of Plantings inThe Grace Kriegel Memorial Herb Garden

The schematic (below) shows what was in the Grace Kriegel Memorial Herb Garden four years ago, 2008-2009.

I was the Herb Garden Keeper for tow summers: 2008, 2009. Time was spent uprooting over 400 large milkweeds with extensive tap roots, cutting down 1,200 garlic chives, in the hope of preventing widespread takeover of the Gardens space, making a blog to capture the beauty of the Garden in pictures, identifying and and mapping the Garden's weeds and plants.(Whew! It was a long and lonely summer. A team was definitely needed.)

The next season, there were helpers from the greenhouse group: Herb Garden Planning started. Over the course of two summers, over 15 wild flower varieties were identified, herbs were specifically grown for the Garden, and herbs that were perennials were identified. The following summer Nancy Cochrane continued the Keeper role.

It is different today---much has been done to redesign the space. Nancy led winnowing and replanning of crowded areas shown above and areas were bordered.

Although the schematic pictured is small, it exists as a PDF file in full 8.5" X 11" and is available for the asking. It remains as one of the few records left of planting design of that garden. It is a valuable record of what was planted in the garden at that time. At the bottom of this listing is the 2008 list of plants by section.

The Original List for the Grace Kriegel Memorial Herb Garden
(Common Name: Use Latin Name Type:
A=Aromatic, M=Medicinal, C=Culinary, Dec.= Decorative, D=Dye, HP= Hardy Perennial, TP= Tender Perennial, A=Annual, HA= Hardy Annual. List by Grace Kriegel)


Sneezewort: M Achillea ptmarmica HP

Bear’s Breeches: Dec Acanthus mollis TP

Anise Hyssop: C Agustache foeniculum HP

Lady’s Mantle: Dec Alchemillea mollis HP

Garlic Chives: C Allium tuberosum HP

Dill: C Anethum graveolens A

Chamomile (Ger): M Matricaria chamomilla HP


Butterfly Weed: M Asclepias tuberose HP

Mullein: Dec Verbascum P

Carolina Allspice: A Calycamthus HP

Feverfew: M Tanacetum parthenium HP

Lemon Grass: C Cymbopogton citratus TP

Scotch Broom: C Cytisus scoparius, HP

Queen Anne’s Lace: M Daucus carota HB

Purple Coneflower: M Echinacea purpurea HP

Globe Thistle: Dec Echinops ritro HP

Our Lady’s Bedstraw: C Galium verum HP

Baby’s Breath: Dec Gypsophila paniculate HP

Indigo : Dye Indigofera HH

Sweet Bay: C Laurus nobilis TP

Lavender: A & M Lavendula HP

Lovage: C Levisticum officinale HP

Lemon Balm M +C Melissa officinalis HP

Bee Balm/Oswego Tea: M Monarda didyma HP

Greek Oregano: C Origanum HP

Russian Sage: Dec Perovskia HP

Italian Parsley: C Petroselinum swativum HP

Curly Leaf Parsley C Petroselinum crispum HP

Salad Burnet: C Sanguisorba minor HP

Lungwort : M Pulmonaria officinalis HP

Rue: C Ruta graveolena HP

Soapwort : Saponaria officinalis HP

Lemon Thyme: C Thymus citriodorus HP

Pot Marigold: D Calendula officinalis HP


originally in: P. Libutti, In the Garden, (blog), http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=4769595601834500422&postID=8006632470792862979 2008

“We of the Garden Club of Teaneck offer this gift to the Township with the hope that it will serve as a living memorial to all that was fine in our colonial past and to the spirit that is still strong in all of us to make democracy work by exemplifying what people acting together can accomplish.”---Grace Kriegel, Teaneck News, May 26, 1976.

“ On April first, 1975, then-Mayor Eleanor Kieleszek turned over the first spade full of earth for the Bicentennial Celebration Herb Garden, located on the Municipal Green. But work on the project really began two years prior to that date.A group of Garden Club members, headed by Grace Kriegel, prepared a plan for a permanent garden as a gift to the township. The garden would be composed of an “Inner Knot Garden”based on authentic colonial designs and bordered by a four foot brick walk. Surrounding the walk would be an “Outer Garden” composed of culinary, decorative, medicinal and aromatic herbs.

Plants would be indigenous to to the northeastern area, with minor exceptions for educational purposes. Most of the plants would be propagated at the township greenhouse. There were many hours of painstaking research and trips to sample gardens in NJ, NY, CT, and PA.

A small group of members began to create the inner knot garden in the Spring of 1975. They were joined by several Cub Scout Den members, led by Mrs. Kay Hower, on Saturday mornings, learning how to plant, mulch, weed, rake and water a garden.

In April of 1976, the hopes of having the garden enclosed by a brick path were realized through the helpful efforts of Miss Olive Tamborelle of the Teaneck Public Library. An anonymous contributor donated two thousand used bricks and Mr. Ed Carratura generously contributed the labor. The outer garden was soon completed.Twenty years later, the garden still retains most of the original design.

“...A special thank you to the Monday Herb Group--Angie Torrieri (Group Leader), Ida Caselli, Helen Humphreys, Helen Hurlbut, Paul Hurlbut, John Lewis, Catherine Lloyd, Emma Mutchler, Monica Oscarsson, Lenora Wesl and George Zourdos for their tireless work in maintaining the Garden twelve months of the year and whose efforts, along with those of Rosalie Beffa, Helen Bove (posthumously), Nancy Cochrane and Julia Condit, made today’s dedication a reality.”

From the program for the Dedication of the Grace Kriegel Memorial Herb Garden, October 5, 1996, 1:00PM, Township of Teaneck, Municipal Green.

Initial Inventory of Plants 2008

West section:Butterfly Bush
Rosemary
Bay Tree
Sage

West SideCoreopsis
Anise Hyssop
Chives
Scented Geranium
Lemon Balm
Spice Bush
Daylilies
Sedum
Multiflora Rose
Pink Hibiscus

South SideHolly
Daylilies
Iris
Yucca
Sedum
Chives

East Side
Iris
Bellflowers
Purple Coneflowers
Solomon's Seal
Lilies-of-the-Valley
Junipers

North Side
JunipersWitch Hazel
Spiderwort
Daylilies
Mahonia
White Hibiscus

Center (Knot)Aloe
English Ivy
Periwinkle
Chamomile
Greek Oregano
Italian Oregano
Lemon Balm
Scented Geranium
Spiderwort
Lady's Mantle
Queen Anne's Lace

Two Good Gardening Books to Check out from the Library

Short reviews: Herb Gardening books

The Complete Herb Book By Jekka McVicar
Teaneck Library:635.7 MCV
Firefly Books 2008

Jekka McVicar has been an herbalist and garden designer for 30
years in Somerset, England, and revised her earlier edition of
this book. History and folklore are interwoven with description,
cultivation and harvesting. The language used, as well as photographs
and recipes to accompany each herb are appealing. A number of herbs are native to the U.K.; the majority grow in North America, also. The design for herb gardens section is worth checking for ideas. Herbs are organized alphabetically by
Latin name.This is beautifully written, a joy to read.





This is an oldie but goodie, a no-nonsense book about all the
weeds we encounter. One of the very best documentation
parts of the book is the listing for each weed its dangers for
livestock, humans, and waterways, as well as pictures of the
plant as seed, seedling, and grown plant. With this volume one
you can read the ugly weed names in two languages: English
and French.
Weeds in the Northern U.S and in Canada.
OY France Royer & Richard Dickenson Lone Pine
Publications,1999 Teaneck Library 581.652 ROY