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Friends of
Burlington Gardens & the Vermont Community Garden Network
creating,
enhancing, and preserving community gardens for all
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Click
the link below to learn about the Healthy
City Youth Initiative - new!
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Burlington
School Garden Initiative
Through
grant support from the George W. Mergens Foundation, Morris and Bessie
Altman Foundation, Harris
and Frances Block Foundation, the Jane B. Cook 1992 Charitable
Trust, Friends
of
Burlington Gardens has worked with
Burlington schools since 2005 to integrate gardening into the
curriculum and
community. Raised beds were constructed in 2005 at Flynn Elementary,
C.P. Smith Elementary, Hunt Middle School, and Burlington High School.
Additional beds were added to Burlington High School in 2006 and to
Flynn Elementary in 2007.
 In 2005,
the international garden located in the Courtyard at
Burlington High School received first place honors in the Burlington Blooms Awards program
sponsored by Gardener's Supply Company. Burlington's school gardens
were also highlighted in the Burlington
School Food Project newsletter published by the Burlington Food
Council.
An innovative approach was taken in planting and maintaing the raised
bed gardens. In late May, the gardens are planted with annual
flowers, which remain in place until late June. The flowers provided
a colorful display for graduation and are then transplanted to
locations around the school. The raised beds are replanted with
vegetable starts, which are cared for by students in the
Summer Transitions Program. In 2007, FBG Intern Emily Piazza taught
garden-based nutrition activities as part of the six-week summer
program. Click on the link to download the From the Garden Recipe Book
created by Emily with help from the BHS students.
 At Flynn
School in Burlington's New North End, students, parents, and teachers
worked with FBG and community volunteers to revive and create new
gardens around the school. With the help of the Burlington Garden
Club, a 4 foot by 120 ft perennial garden area on the south side
of the school was restored by digging and dividing existing perennials
and adding in new top soil.
On the east side of the school, five raised beds were constructed
and filled with a mixture of Intervale top soil and peat moss. The beds
are planted with vegetables in the spring that are later harvested by
day campers
in the Champ Camp program sponsored by Burlington Parks and Recreation.
Students returning to school in September enjoy picking and eating
fresh tomatoes from the gardens outside their classroom.
 C.P.
Smith School's raised bed gardens are arranged in a half moon
shape, with a bean tepee at the focal point. As with the other new
school gardens, the raised beds are located directly in front of the
school where they are in full view for the community to enjoy.
UVM Extension Master Gardener and C.P. Smith parent Kara Buchanan was
instrumental in coordinating the garden installation. Champ Campers
help to care for the gardens during the summer along with students
and parent volunteers.
 Champlain
Elementary School is the site of the Champlain
Community Garden, which is one of the oldest community gardens in
Burlington. The garden was established in 1980 and moved to its present
site on the south side of the school in 1982.
The garden site is part of the Burlington Area
Community Gardens
program and is sometimes used by teachers and students at Champlain as
an outdoor classroom.
 With
help from VCGN mini-grants, Lawrence Barnes Elementary School created a
raised bed vegetable garden in 2006 and a second raised bed garden in
2007. In harmony with its sustainability theme, the school grounds are
also a National Wildlife Federation habitat area.
The raised bed gardens are located at the North Champlain Street
entrance to the school and are integrated into the summer recreation
and nutrition program.
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Friends of
Burlington
Gardens & the
Vermont Community
Garden Network
180 Flynn Avenue Studio 3
PO Box 4504
Burlington,
Vermont
05406-4504
802-861-GROW
www.burlingtongardens.org
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