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Building a shared greenhouse on a neighborhood street is the ultimate "infrastructure gift." It shifts the project from individual homes to a collective "Nursery Hub." Instead of 10 neighbors buying 10 sets of grow lights, you consolidate resources into one high-performing space.

Here are four ways to approach a hyper-local neighborhood greenhouse.

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Opportunities for the Community and Volunteers

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Opportunities for the Community and Volunteers

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There are many ways we can nurture and protect our environment to facilitate the access to food for every species.

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The Dirt 2 Table approach centers on "building community one seed at a time" by facilitating backyard food production and collective plant shares.

To keep our mission grounded, we align every action with these three core priorities:

The Gift Economy: We prioritize people over profit. There is no expectation of the exchange of money or goods for seeds, plants, or labor. We share our time, resources, and collective generosity.

Knowledge Sovereignty: We prioritize education alongside production. We don't just share a plant; we share the skills to ensure that plant thrives, its soil stays healthy, and its seeds are saved for the next generation.

Heirloom Integrity: We prioritize biodiversity and freedom. We envision building a process where growing varieties that belong to the people, ensuring our neighborhood remains independent of industrial seed systems is a prioritized goal.

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Create a poll with your team to name your project, e.g.

The Neighborhood Guild

Soil 2 Street

Radical Roots

Revolutionary Gardeners

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Welcome to our "living toolkit" for a community-driven model of food sovereignty. This board is the central hub for our collective effort to reclaim our food supply and strengthen our street. Following the Dirt 2 Table model, we are moving away from being "consumers" and toward being "producers" and "sharers", making the entire community more resilient against food insecurity.

This is a "living toolkit" in that you can copy it and make it your own according to the needs of your street or neighborhood.

How to Use This Board:

Explore the Columns: Move from left to right to see the big-picture vision, the hyper-local street plan, and the technical "how-to" guides.

Join the "treet Cooperative: Look at the "Neighborhood Collective" column. Comment on the "Specialization Menu" to claim your house's role (e.g., "The Salsa House" or "The Salad Bowl").

Contribute to the "Supply Harvest": Check the "Infrastructure" column to see what materials we still need for our shared greenhouse.

Ask & Share: Use the comments on any card to ask questions, offer tips, or coordinate garden work-days.

Our Pact: Everything here is a Gift. There is no expecation of money or any goods in exchange for seeds, plants, or labor. We grow together, we learn together, and we ensure everyone has a seat at the table.

Let’s get growing! Click the "Heart" on this post if you're ready to start.

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Cultivating Justice: Local Food and Nature's Rights

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Cultivating Justice: Local Food and Nature's Rights

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Jan

Strategy & Outreach

Recruit core volunteers; define the variety list (heirlooms, herbs, etc.); identify partners (daycares, schools).

Feb

Seed Starting

Distribute seeds and trays to volunteer nurturers; launch the online pre-order form.

Mar

Growth & Monitoring

Regular check-ins with nurturers; post educational videos/tips on social media to build engagement.

Apr

Final Logistics

Finalize order counts; secure a centralized pick-up location; organize volunteer shifts for fulfillment.

May

The Plant Share

Host the "Celebration of Spring" event; distribute plants; collect "impact" data from participants.

June+

Impact & Growth

Send out satisfaction surveys; host summer garden tours; plan fall educational workshops (e.g., seed saving).

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The "Street Share" Agreement (Non-Formal)

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The "Street Share" Agreement (Non-Formal)

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To keep things simple, agree on these three "Dirt 2 Table" principles:

1. Chemical Free: No synthetic pesticides, so everyone feels safe eating from any yard.

2. Open Access: If a neighbor (even one not participating) is hungry, they are welcome to a reasonable share.

3. Knowledge Transfer: If your tomatoes are thriving and your neighbor's aren't, go over and show them your pruning technique!

This Specialization Menu is designed to help your neighbors choose the right "role" for their yard’s unique environment. In a street-share model, matching the plant to the light ensures that no one is frustrated by poor yields, and the neighborhood gets a diverse harvest.

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Knowledge sharing is as vital as the plants themselves. Successful plant shares incorporate:

Educational Materials: Handouts or digital guides on organic gardening, soil health, and natural pest prevention (e.g., managing aphids and squash bugs).

Skill-Sharing Workshops: Host sessions on advanced topics like fruit tree grafting, seed saving, and companion planting.

Preservation Education: Teach community members how to preserve their harvest through canning, pickling, and proper storage.

Distribution Logistics

Inventory Management: Use an online pre-order system to allow community members to select specific varieties.

Order Fulfillment: Recruit volunteers to pull and label orders before the pick-up day to ensure a smooth, organized process.

Community Spotlights: Encourage those who order for community or school gardens to share their success stories and tips to inspire others.

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The fundamental right of all people to have access to healthy, affordable, and culturally appropriate food produced through ecologically sound and socially just methods.

It's more than just charity; it's about systemic change.

“Even a wounded world is feeding us. Even a wounded world holds us, giving us moments of wonder and joy. I choose joy over despair. Not because I have my head in the sand, but because joy is what the earth gives me daily and I must return the gift.”

― Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants

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Dirt2Table website

Og-woi People’s Orchard and Garden

Global Alliance for the Rights of Nature

Nature’s Rights

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Urban Gardening Resource Padlet

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Challenge yourself to re-think the dandelion. Not only are there many ways to use the plant for edible and medicinal purposes, the Dandelion also provides food for bees!

Join the movement to destigamtize this wonderful plant of many uses!

Here are some interesting facts about the dandelion flower:

The dandelion is the only flower that represents the 3 celestial bodies of the sun, moon and stars. . The yellow flower resembles the sun, the puff ball resembles the moon and the dispersing seeds resemble the stars.

The dandelion flower opens to greet the morning and closes in the evening to go to sleep.

Every part of the dandelion is useful: root, leaves, flower. It can be used for food, medicine and dye for coloring.

Up until the 1800s people would pull grass out of their lawns to make room for dandelions and other useful “weeds” like chickweed, malva, and chamomile.

The name dandelion is taken from the French word “dent de lion” meaning lion’s tooth, referring to the coarsely-toothed leaves.

Dandelions have one of the longest flowering seasons of any plant. Dandelion seeds are often transported away by a gust of wind and they travel like tiny parachutes. Seeds are often carried as many as 5 miles from their origin! Animals such as birds, insects and butterflies consume nectar or seed of dandelion..

Dandelion flowers do not need to be pollinated to form seed. Dandelion can be used in the production of wine and root beer. Root of dandelion can be used as a substitute for coffee.

Dandelions have sunk their roots deep into history. They were well known to ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans, and have been used in Chinese traditional medicine for over a thousand years. Dandelion is used in folk medicine to treat infections and liver disorders. Tea made of dandelion act as diuretic.

If you mow dandelions, they’ll grow shorter stalks to spite you.

Dandelions are, quite possibly, the most successful plants that exist, masters of survival worldwide.

A not so fun fact: Every year countries spend millions on lawn pesticides to have uniform lawns of non-native grasses, and we use 30% of the country’s water supply to keep them green. Bee Happy Gardens

Read more: http://bit.ly/3YCzUFR

Want to Help the Bees? Leave the Dandelions Alone This Spring

Foraging Dandelions and Recipes

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Milkweed Plant Info Sheet

We know that Monarch caterpillars only eat milkweed.

The milkweed plant provides all the nourishment the monarch needs to transform the Monarch caterpillar into the adult butterfly.

After you get your milkweed plant, watch your it grow.  After a month or two, the  Monarch caterpillars will start eating them. Milkweed plant does spread, so be sure to plant it in area big enough for the spread you want.

(Note: Milkweed plants are food for caterpillars but poisonous to humans. Avoid getting milkweed sap on your skin or in your eyes. Milkweed is also toxic if eaten, so keep plants away from young children and pets.)

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Consistency is the secret to healthy seedlings. Share this with your volunteers:

Stage

Frequency

Method

Tip

Seeds to Sprouts

Daily (Mist)

Spray bottle

Keep the surface damp but not soggy.

Young Seedlings

Every 2 Days

Bottom watering

Fill the bottom tray with 1/2 inch of water; let soak for 20 mins, then pour out excess.

Potted Up Plants

Daily Check

Deep soak

Large tomatoes in small pots drink fast; they may need water every morning.

Export to Sheets

Pro-Tip: If your seedlings look purple on the underside of the leaves, they are likely too cold or lacking phosphorus. If they look yellow, they are likely being overwatered!

The "Off-Season" is the most critical time for a project like Dirt 2 Table. While the gardens are resting, the administrative and community-building work begins. This schedule focuses on a non-monetized, grant-funded model that prioritizes heirloom seeds and community education.

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Why Replicate Now?

The Fragility of the System: Our current food supply relies on long-distance transport and industrial monocultures. By replicating the Dirt 2 Table model here, we create a local insurance policy against rising costs and supply chain disruptions.

Closing the Access Gap: While a central plant share is wonderful, "food deserts" still exist. Replicating this project on our specific street ensures that high-quality, organic nutrition is literally within arm's reach for our immediate neighbors.

Scaling Knowledge, Not Profit: The more communities that adopt this "Gift Economy" model, the faster we can spread the skills of seed saving and soil health. We aren’t growing a business; we are growing a collective intelligence.

Our Vision for [The Food Sovereignty Project]: Following the Dirt 2 Table blueprint, we will organize two tiers of action:

1. A Regional Hub: Coordinating with other local projects to share seeds and bulk supplies.

2. A Neighborhood Collective: Turning our own backyards into a specialized "Street Harvest" where each house grows a specific crop to share with the rest.

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The Replication Blueprint: City-wide or Regional

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The Replication Blueprint: City-wide or Regional

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Purpose: To act as a central hub for plant and seed distribution, large-scale volunteer coordination, and regional education. This tier focuses on mass production (9,000+ seedlings) and removing financial barriers for individuals, schools, daycares, in neighborhoods and high-need areas.

The Regional "Plant Share"

Production: Coordinate a network of volunteer "nurturers" who raise seedlings under grow lights across the city.

Distribution: A centralized event (e.g., "Celebration of Spring") where orders are pre-filled based on an online catalog.

Engagement: Partner with local preschools, daycares, and charitable organizations to supply their educational gardens.

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To feed an entire street, we don't all need to grow everything. Pick a "Zone" for your house. For example:

The Salsa House: Romas, Jalapeños, Cilantro.

The Pesto House: Genovese Basil, Garlic Chives.

The Snack House: Sun Gold Cherry Tomatoes, Snap Peas.

The Vine House: Cucumbers, Zucchini, Melons.

The Salad Bowl: Kale, Spinach, Lettuce.

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1. The "Kickoff" Porch Meeting (February)

The Map: Draw a simple map of the street. Identify which yards have the most sun (best for tomatoes/peppers) and which have shade (best for lettuce/herbs).

The Draft: Assign crops based on sun access and interest.

The Resource Audit: Does one neighbor have a rototiller? Does another have a truck for hauling compost? Share these assets freely to keep costs at zero.

2. Collaborative Seed Starting (March)

Bulk Ordering: Instead of 10 people buying 10 packets of seeds, buy one large bulk pack of heirloom tomatoes and split them.

The "Nursery" House: If one neighbor has a warm basement, sunroom, or even a greenhouse, they host the seed-starting trays for the entire street for the first 6 weeks.

3. Planting Day (May)

The "Work Party": Spend one Saturday moving from house to house. Everyone helps House A dig their beds, then everyone moves to House B. This builds muscle memory and community bonds.

Signage: Place a small, friendly sign in each front yard: "Street Share Garden: Growing Basil for the Neighborhood!"

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During harvest season, we host a rolling exchange. If the "Salsa House" has an abundance of tomatoes but no greens, they bring their surplus to the shared table. This ensures no food goes to waste and every household has a balanced pantry.

Production: A few volunteers start several trays of "high-impact" heirloom seeds (tomatoes, peppers, herbs).

Distribution: A simple "take-a-plant, leave-a-seed" table in a front yard or community center.

Knowledge: Attach simple care cards to each plant with watering and sun requirements.

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The Hoop House Community Build (Low Cost/High Speed)

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The Hoop House Community Build (Low Cost/High Speed)

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This is the most accessible model for a neighborhood street. It uses flexible PVC or electrical conduit and heavy-duty greenhouse plastic.

The Idea: Spend one Saturday as a street building a 10'x12' hoop house in the sunniest backyard.

The "Share": Every neighbor gets one "shelf" or "zone" inside the hoop house to start their specialty crops.

The Benefit: It’s temporary. If the neighbor moves or the street dynamic changes, it can be disassembled in two hours.To build our Shared Nursery Waystation, we need to "harvest" these supplies from our community:

Lumber: (4) 2x4x8' Treated Studs.

PVC: (7) 20ft 3/4" PVC Pipes.

Hardware: 3" Exterior Deck Screws, Pipe Clamps.

Covering: 6mil Greenhouse Plastic (UV Resistant).

Donations: Check your garage! If you have these, comment below.

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Late Feb: Onions, Celery, Slow Herbs.

Mid March: Peppers, Eggplants.

Late March: Heirloom Tomatoes.

Mid April: Basil, Lettuce, Kale.

Late April: Squash, Melons, Cucumbers.

Early May: Hardening Off (Open greenhouse doors daily).

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Use these titles to mark your trays in the shared greenhouse:

ZONE: THE SALSA HOUSE (Primary: Roma Tomatoes)

ZONE: THE PESTO HOUSE (Primary: Basil)

ZONE: THE SNACK HOUSE (Primary: Cherry Tomatoes)

ZONE: THE VINE HOUSE (Primary: Cucumbers)

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No Synthetics: We never use synthetic pesticides or fertilizers.

Pest Control: Use Neem oil or soapy water sprays only.

Open Access: The greenhouse is a shared resource. Keep the path clear and ensure the Master Key is returned to the lockbox.

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Call to Action Letter Template - to be modified for a regional network or street/neighborhood collective

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Call to Action Letter Template - to be modified for a regional network or street/neighborhood collective

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A Call to Action: Building Food Sovereignty in our city and its neighborhoods

Dear [Name/Neighbor],

We are living in a time when the simple act of growing food has become a radical necessity. We see the rising costs of groceries and the loss of connection to our land and our neighbors. It is time to change the narrative from "buying" to "building."

I am/We are reaching out to you because I/we believe you share a vision for a more resilient, connected, and nourished community. I am/We are inviting you to help launch [Project Name], a initiative modeled after the Dirt 2 Table food sovereignty project.

Our Mission is Simple: To build community one seed at a time.

We are not starting a business or a traditional community garden. We are building a Food Sovereignty Network—a gift-economy system where we share seeds, infrastructure, and knowledge freely.

We are looking for a core group of organizers to help lead two primary efforts:

1. The Regional Catalyst: Helping coordinate large-scale seed starting and distribution to schools, daycares, and local families.

2. The Street /Neighborhood Cooperative: Organizing hyper-local "nursery waystations" where neighbors specialize in specific crops to feed their entire block.

Why Join Us?

Remove Barriers: Help us ensure that no neighbor is ever prevented from growing food because they can't afford a $5 seedling.

Reclaim Knowledge: Be part of a group that teaches seed saving, soil health, and organic preservation.

Build Resilience: Help create a "Street Cooperative" where neighbors actually know and feed one another.

Next Steps: We are holding a "Founders' Huddle" on [Date] at [Location]. We aren't looking for investors—we are looking for replicators. We need people willing to host a shared greenhouse, people to manage a seed library, and people to help us tell the story of why this model matters.

The original Dirt 2 Table project proved this works. Now, it’s our turn to prove that it can grow anywhere.

Will you help us plant the first seeds? Please let us know if you can join us for the huddle.

With hope and determination,

[Your Names] [Contact Info]

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The project relies on 100% volunteer power. Before planting a single seed, you need a dedicated committee.

Recruit Motivators: Find 5–10 individuals passionate about food sovereignty and local resilience.

Establish a "Foodraiser" Vision: Your goal isn't just to grow food, but to facilitate others growing their own.

Define Governance: Dirt 2 Table focuses on horizontal support. Decide early how decisions will be made (e.g., consensus-based or committee-led).

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A hallmark of Dirt 2 Table is the scale of their plant production (over 9,000 seeds planted annually).

Sourcing Seeds: Focus on heirloom and organic varieties that empower people to save their own seeds later.

The Nursery Model: You don’t need a commercial greenhouse; you need a network of volunteers with grow lights or sunny windowsills.

Seed Starting Parties: Host events in February/March to get thousands of seeds into trays.

Volunteer Tracking: Use a simple spreadsheet to track who is "nurturing" which varieties to ensure a diverse catalog for the plant share.

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Phase 3: Community Education & Campaigns

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Phase 3: Community Education & Campaigns

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Dirt 2 Table is an educational platform as much as a garden project.

Destigmatize Local Plants: Launch campaigns like "Destigmatize the Dandelion!" to teach neighbors about edible and medicinal "weeds" and their importance to pollinators.

Workshops: Organize short sessions on soil health, vertical gardening (for small backyards), and Rights of Nature.

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Phase 4: The Annual Community Plant Share

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Phase 4: The Annual Community Plant Share

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This is the "Celebration of Spring" and the primary engine for distribution.

Catalog & Order Form: Create an online or paper catalog of the plants your volunteers have grown.

The "Foodraiser" Model: Unlike a commercial sale, use a "pay-what-you-can" or donation-based system. Every penny should return to the project for next year’s seeds and supplies.

Distribution Networks: Partner with local daycares, schools, libraries, and churches to get plants into the hands of those who might not have access to garden centers.

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Beyond individual backyards, replicate the Dirt 2 Table model of "People’s Orchards."

Identify Public/Private Spaces: Look for underutilized land (like the Og-woi People’s Orchard) to plant perennial food sources.

Resource Library: Create a "Resources" tab on your local site with recipes, planting calendars, and "how-to" guides for backyard food production.

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Heirloom seeds, organic starting soil, trays, heat mats, and "Grow-Light" loaner kits.

Digital

A PayPal/Venmo for donations and a simple website/social page for the Plant Catalog.

Legal/Safety

Liability waivers for volunteers and permission forms for any public planting.

Philosophy

A commitment to "harmony with nature" and the belief that growing food is a radical, transformative act.

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To measure the project’s health, track metrics that reflect community resilience rather than profit:

Food Security: Percentage of participants who report making fewer grocery store trips.

Community Reach: Number of people benefiting from each order (households, neighbors, and institutions).

Confidence: Survey whether participants feel more confident in their ability to grow their own food.

To replicate the Dirt 2 Table model effectively, your timeline must balance the biological needs of the plants with the logistical needs of a community project.

This schedule assumes a Mother’s Day (mid-May) distribution goal, which is standard for most temperate climates.

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February: Foundation & The Indoor Nursery

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February: Foundation & The Indoor Nursery

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Goal: Set up the infrastructure and start long-season crops.

Week 1: Build the Grow Space. Construct "Grow-Light Loaner Kits" or home setups. Use simple shop lights with 5000K–6500K LED bulbs. Build tiered shelving to maximize vertical space.

Week 2: The Big Sow (Alliums & Slow Growers). Start seeds for onions, leeks, celery, and slow-growing herbs (lavender, rosemary).

Week 3: Watering Routine Initiation. Establish a "Top-Touch" rule: Check soil daily. If the top is dry, water from the bottom (pour water into the tray, not on the leaves) to prevent damping-off disease.

Week 4: Outreach. Launch your online sign-up for community members to "reserve" their plant bundles.

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Goal: Start the "stars" of the garden—tomatoes and peppers.

Week 1: The Solanaceous Sow. Plant peppers and eggplants (they need the most heat to germinate).

Week 2: The Tomato Sow. Start your heirloom tomato varieties. These grow fast, so ensure lights are kept 2 inches above the plant tops to prevent "leggy" (weak) stems.

Week 3: Potting Up (Part 1). Move your February starts (onions/herbs) into slightly larger containers if roots are circling the bottom.

Week 4: Fan Implementation. Place small oscillating fans in the grow space. This "simulated wind" strengthens plant stems and prevents mold.

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Goal: Prepare for the transition to the outdoors.

Week 1: Potting Up (Part 2). Transfer tomatoes and peppers into larger containers.(for the regional project, transfer to "6-pack" inserts). This is the "messy week"—recruit volunteers to help with the transplanting.

Week 2: Cold-Hardy Sowing. Start brassicas (kale, broccoli, cabbage) and lettuce. These grow fast and can handle cooler air.

Week 3: Cucurbit Sow. Start squash, cucumbers, and melons. Note: Do not start these earlier, as they hate being root-bound.

Week 4: The "Hardening Off" Phase. On warm days (above 50°F), move trays outside to a shaded, wind-protected spot for 2 hours, then bring them back in. Increase time daily.

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Goal: Getting plants into the hands of the community.

Week 1: Final Hardening. Plants should now be spending all day outside and coming in only at night. This toughens the "skin" of the plant to survive the sun.

Week 2: The Plant Share Event. * Friday: Organize trays by order/bundle.

Saturday: The "Celebration of Spring" distribution.

Sunday: Last-mile deliveries to elderly neighbors or local daycares.

Week 3 & 4: Follow-up. Send out your first "Knowledge Drop" email/text to recipients with tips on transplanting into the ground and organic pest control.

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Goal: Capture the bounty and the genetics of the current season.

Week 1: Seed Saving Workshops. Host neighborhood events teaching people how to harvest seeds from their best-performing heirloom tomatoes, peppers, and beans.

Week 2: Community Harvest Celebration. Organize a "Knowledge & Food Exchange" where neighbors share produce and tips on what varieties thrived in the local micro-climate.

Week 3: The "Success/Failure" Audit. Meet with core volunteers to discuss which plants were most requested and which were difficult to grow. Adjust next year’s "Plant Catalog" based on this data.

Week 4: Seed Cleaning & Storage. Process saved seeds, dry them thoroughly, and store them in a cool, dark place. Label everything with the variety and the year.

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Seed Saving

Beans, Peas, Tomatoes, Peppers

Heirloom preservation

Grant Focus

Community Resilience & Food Access

Securing free resources

Volunteer Recruitment

Find "Indoor Nurturers" for Feb

Expanding grow space

Soil Sourcing

High-quality organic potting mix

Preventing seedling death

Why no money? By focusing on grants and seed saving in the fall, you ensure that in May, you can hand a plant to a neighbor and say, "This is a gift from the community," rather than "That will be $5." This builds trust and encourages the neighbor to one day become a seed saver themselves.

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Goal: Secure "The Basics" (soil, trays, lights) without charging community members.

Week 1: Grant Mapping. Research local "Seed Grants," community garden grants, or sustainability awards from local city councils or environmental non-profits.

Week 2: Writing the Narrative. Draft a template grant that highlights the Gift Economy aspect: “We provide plants at no cost to remove barriers to food sovereignty.” * Week 3: Corporate In-Kind Outreach. Contact local hardware or garden stores to request donations of "damaged" soil bags or leftover trays.

Week 4: Submission Blitz. Submit at least 2–3 small grant applications to cover the cost of potting soil and electricity for grow lights.

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Goal: Finalize the "inventory" for the February start.

Week 1: Inventory Check. Count your saved seeds and determine what still needs to be acquired.

Week 2: Sourcing New Varieties. Order heirloom seeds from non-profit seed banks or worker-owned cooperatives. Prioritize varieties known for resilience and high yields.

Week 3: Educational Content Creation. Start drafting "Plant Care Sheets" for the upcoming year. Focus on organic methods: how to build soil health over winter using mulch or cover crops.

Week 4: Volunteer Appreciation. Host a simple gathering to thank the "Nurturers" from the previous year and begin recruiting new ones for February.

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Goal: Maintenance and physical preparation.

Week 1: Gear Inspection. Clean and sanitize all trays and pots with a mild vinegar solution to prevent disease. Check all grow light bulbs.

Week 2: "The Library" Organization. Organize your seed library by "Plant Date" (e.g., Sow in Feb, Sow in March) to make the spring rollout easier.

Week 3: Community Wishlist. Send out a simple survey to the neighborhood asking: "What would you like to learn to grow next year?"

Week 4: Winter Dormancy. Take a break! The most sustainable community projects are those where the volunteers don't burn out.

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This template is designed for the Dirt 2 Table model of community-driven, non-monetized food sovereignty. It emphasizes the gift economy and grassroots nature of your work to appeal to a business's desire for community impact.

Donation Request Template: Soil & Gardening Supplies

Subject: Support for Local Food Resilience: [Your Project Name] Plant Share

To: [Store Manager Name or Business Name],

My name is [Your Name], and I am a volunteer with [Your Project Name], a grassroots initiative modeled after the Dirt 2 Table project in Salt Lake City. We are a 100% volunteer-powered effort dedicated to "building community one seed at a time" by empowering our neighbors to grow their own food.

Each spring, we host a Community Plant Share, providing thousands of heirloom vegetable starts—including tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants—to local residents, schools, and daycares at no cost. Our goal is to remove financial barriers to healthy eating and foster neighborhood resilience.

To make our next "Celebration of Spring" a success, we are seeking in-kind donations of essential supplies. We specifically need:

High-quality organic potting soil or seedling mix

Seed starting trays and 4-inch nursery pots

Plant markers or supplies for labeling containers

Natural amendments like compost

By supporting this project, [Business Name] will directly help [Estimated Number, e.g., 300+] families in [Your Neighborhood] start their own backyard or balcony gardens. As a non-monetized project, we rely entirely on the generosity of partners like you to keep these resources free for our community.

In exchange for your support, we would be honored to:

Feature your business as a supporter on our social media channels (Facebook, Instagram, etc.).

Include your logo on our physical event signage and in our digital "Plant Catalog".

Provide a donation receipt for your records through our fiscal sponsor, the Blue Sky Institute, a 501(c)(3) non-profit.

I would love to drop by next week to share more about our impact report and discuss how we might work together. Thank you for your time and for all you do for our local community.

With gratitude,

[Your Name]

[Your Phone Number]

[Your Email Address]

[Your Website/Social Media Link]

Strategic Tips for Success:

Target "Damaged" Goods: Mention that you are happy to accept bags of soil that have small tears or trays that might otherwise be discarded.

Highlight Educational Partners: Businesses often love knowing their supplies help schools and daycares teach children about nature and food.

Follow-Up: If you don't hear back within a week, a friendly in-person visit to the garden center or hardware store is often more effective than a second email.

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These workshops and trainings are designed to support a non-monetized, gift-economy model that focuses on education, community resilience, and food sovereignty.

Volunteer Trainings: Building the "Nursery Crew"

These sessions ensure that the backbone of the project—the volunteer "Nurturers"—have the skills to raise thousands of healthy plants in a distributed way.

1. The "Nursery Waystation" Operations Training

Goal: To standardize care across all volunteer grow-spaces (greenhouses, basements, and porches).

Topics Covered:

The Soil Mix: How to use the organic potting soil sourced through the neighborhood supply drive.

The "Top-Touch" Watering Method: Training volunteers to water from the bottom to prevent damping-off.

Labeling Integrity: Ensuring every tray is marked with the variety, date, and "Household Zone" to maintain the specialization plan.

Ventilation & Hardening: How to manage airflow using fans and the gradual transition to outdoor light.

2. Community Outreach & "Gift Economy" Ambassador Training

Goal: To train volunteers on how to talk about the project without using the language of "sales."

Topics Covered:

The Mission: How to explain "food sovereignty" and "building community one seed at a time."

Handling Donations: Training on how to accept "gifts" (soil, seeds, time) rather than payments.

Diversity & Inclusion: Strategies for reaching local daycares, schools, and low-access neighborhoods to ensure the plants reach those who need them most.

Community Workshops: "Sharing the Knowledge"

These workshops are the "educational engine" of the project, designed to turn plant recipients into confident food growers.

1. The "Specialization" Success Workshop

Target Audience: Neighbors who have claimed a "Specialty Role" (e.g., The Salsa House, The Pesto House).

Activities:

Crop-Specific Mastery: Hands-on training for the specific plants in their category (e.g., how to prune heirloom tomatoes for the "Salsa House").

The "Sunday Swap" Logistics: How to harvest and present food at the neighborhood sharing table.

Natural Pest Solutions: Identifying common local pests and sharing non-toxic remedies (Neem oil, soapy water).

2. "Seeds of the Future": Seed Saving & Processing

Target Audience: General community and "Master Nurturers."

Activities:

Genetic Preservation: How to identify the strongest plants for seed saving to maintain the heirloom lineage.

Cleaning & Drying: Practical demonstration on fermenting tomato seeds and drying bean/pepper seeds.

The Winter Library: Packaging and labeling seeds to be returned to the neighborhood "Seed Bank" for the following February's start.

3. The "Foodraiser" Preservation Party

Target Audience: The entire neighborhood street or local community.

Activities:

Batch Processing: Large-scale preparation of the street’s collective harvest (e.g., making a "Neighborhood Salsa" or "Block-Wide Pesto").

Canning & Fermenting: Teaching safe water-bath canning and fermentation techniques so the summer bounty lasts through winter.

Shared Meal: A celebration of the season's success where everyone eats food grown entirely on the block.

Workshop & Training Calendar (Annual Cycle)

February

Volunteer Training

Nursery Waystation Operations (Setting up Grow Lights)

March

Community Workshop

Seed Starting 101: Heirlooms & Specialization

May

Community Workshop

Transplanting & Soil Health (The "Hand-Off" Day)

July

Community Workshop

Organic Pest Control & Companion Planting

September

Community Workshop

Seed Saving & Preservation (The "Seeds of the Future")

November

Volunteer Training

Impact Reporting & Grant Writing (Planning the next cycle)

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NOTE: Under Development.

This handbook is our guide to non-monetized plant sharing. Your group will want to modify this to your mission and needs.

The olunteer Handbook consolidates the core philosophy, roles, and technical protocols into a single document

Suggestion: Upload this pdf to your shared drive and open it with an editable format to modify.

Roles: Nursery Nurturers (Seedling care), Community Ambassadors (Outreach), and Seed Librarians (Saving for next year).

The "Top-Touch" Rule: Always check soil daily; water from the bottom to prevent fungus.

for new members.

The handbook includes:

Mission & Philosophy: A clear explanation of the "Gift Economy" and "Food Sovereignty" principles.

Role Definitions: Summaries for Nursery Nurturers, Specialty Producers, Ambassadors, and Seed Librarians.

Technical Standards: Instructions on the "Top-Touch" watering method and labeling requirements.

Safety & Ethics: Guidance on chemical-free gardening and neighborhood accessibility.

Annual Timeline: A high-level overview of the seasonal cycle.

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Since there is no money involved, the "payment" is the diversity of the harvest.

The "Farm Stand" Mailbox: Each participating house puts a basket or small table near the sidewalk. When the cherry tomatoes are ripe, House D puts the extras in the basket with a sign: "Help yourself, neighbors!"

The Sunday Swap: Every Sunday evening in August/September, hold a 20-minute "Street Swap" where people bring their harvest to a central driveway to trade.

The Preservation Party: In late September, get together to turn the street’s collective harvest into jars of salsa or pesto that everyone takes home for the winter.

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Feb Week 1: The Porch Huddle. Choose crops and claim "specialties."

Feb Week 3: Seed Order. One person orders all heirloom seeds for the street.

March Week 2: The Big Sow. Meet at the "Nursery House" to plant all trays.

April Week 2: Compost Run. Rent or borrow a truck to get a bulk load of organic compost for everyone's beds.

May Week 2: The Street Crawl. Move house-to-house to transplant seedlings into the ground.

June - August: The Watering Buddy System. If House A goes on vacation, House B waters their plants. No garden dies because of a summer trip!

August - Sept: The Rolling Harvest. Continuous sharing via porch baskets.

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Details include the specialist role (suggested house name),

primary crops and why it works in that particular setting.

1. The "Sun-Drenched" Yards

6–8+ hours of direct sunlight. Usually south-facing or open front yards.

The Salsa Master

Heirloom Tomatoes & Jalapeños

These are "heat lovers" that need intense sun to develop sugars and spice.

The Mediterranean

Eggplant, Bell Peppers, & Basil

These plants thrive in hot soil and can handle the midday sun without wilting.

The Vining Wall

Pole Beans & Seedless Cucumbers

Best for yards with a fence or trellis; they use vertical sun to produce massive yields.

The Melon Patch

Watermelon or Cantaloupe

These need a large "solar footprint" to ripen. Great for big, open lawns.

2. The "Filtered Light" Yards

4–6 hours of sun, or "dappled" light through trees. Usually east or west-facing.

The Cherry Orchard

Cherry Tomatoes (e.g., Sun Gold)

While large tomatoes need full sun, smaller cherry varieties are more forgiving of partial shade.

The Root Cellar

Carrots, Beets, & Radishes

Root crops don't need to ripen a fruit, so they can manage with less intense light.

The Tea Garden

Mint, Lemon Balm, & Chamomile

Many tea herbs actually prefer a break from the scorching afternoon sun.

The Brassica Boss

Kale, Swiss Chard, & Collards

These "leafy greens" stay tender and sweet in partial shade, whereas full sun can make them bitter.

3. The "Cool & Shady" Yards

2–4 hours of sun. North-facing yards or those under heavy tree canopies.

The Salad Bowl

Arugula, Spinach, & Leaf Lettuce

These plants hate heat. In a shady yard, they won't "bolt" (go to seed) as fast as they would in the sun.

The Herb Nook

Parsley, Chives, & Cilantro

These culinary staples are hardy and grow slowly but steadily in cooler, shadier spots.

The Forest Floor

Rhubarb & Alpine Strawberries

These are perennials that naturally grow in woodland edges and thrive in low-light conditions.

The Pea Pod

Sugar Snap Peas

Peas love the cooler soil temperatures found in shadier parts of the street.

Special Category: The "Shared Infrastructure" Houses

If a neighbor doesn't have a good yard for growing, they can still be a vital part of the share!

The Composter: This house hosts the neighborhood compost bin (turning everyone's kitchen scraps into "black gold" for next year's soil).

The Nursery: The house with the best south-facing windows or a warm garage for starting everyone's seeds in February.

The Tool Library: The neighbor with the shed who organizes and maintains the shared shovels, rakes, and wheelbarrows.

The Preservationist: The house with the biggest kitchen that hosts the "Canning Parties" and "Pesto Fests" during harvest season.

How to Use This Menu at Your Porch Meeting:

1. Print a copy for every neighbor.

2. The "Compass Test": Ask everyone to identify which way their yard faces.

3. The Draft: Go around the circle and have people "Claim a Role" based on their yard type.

4. The Gap Check: If everyone has sun and wants to grow tomatoes, ask for a volunteer to pivot to "The Melon Patch" or "The Vining Wall" to ensure the street has variety!

Pro-Tip for the Street: Remind everyone that in a gift economy, a "failure" in one yard is covered by the "bounty" in another. If the Salsa Master's tomatoes get a blight, the Cherry Orchard neighbor steps in with extra snacks for everyone!

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If your street has older homes, neighbors are often replacing old windows. These can be upcycled into a stunning, permanent neighborhood fixture.

The Idea: Collect old wooden-frame windows. Build a timber frame (using donated 2x4s) and use the windows as the walls and roof.

The "Share": This becomes the "Street Seed Library." Inside, you keep the shared seeds, soil bins, and a community chalkboard for planting dates.

The Benefit: It adds aesthetic value to the property and uses "waste" materials, staying true to the Dirt 2 Table ethos.

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The "Attached Lean-To" (Energy Efficient)

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The "Attached Lean-To" (Energy Efficient)

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If a neighbor has a south-facing garage or house wall, you can build a "Lean-To" greenhouse against that structure.

The Idea: The house wall acts as a "thermal mass," absorbing heat during the day and releasing it into the greenhouse at night.

The "Share": Because it stays warmer, this house becomes the "Winter Specialist," growing hardy greens (spinach/kale) for the street even in November and December.

The Benefit: Lower construction costs since one wall is already built, and it's much more wind-resistant.