Local Initiatives and Resources for the Home Gardener

• Let's Garden Lansing - Community calendar of events related to growing, harvesting, and preserving food.
  
• Garden Project of Greater Lansing Food Bank - Find community garden spaces, get seeds and plants, connect with other gardeners
• Allen Neighborhood Center - Farmer's market and education for home gardeners.
• Northwest Initiative - Farmer's market and education for home gardeners
• South Lansing Community Development Association - Farmer's market and education for home gardeners
• Michigan State University Extension - Information, resources, education, and support for home gardeners.
• Mid Michigan Food Systems - Network of people and organizations interested in promoting local food production.
• Everybody Eats - Annual conference focused on creating more sustainable and equitable food systems in Lansing.

Urban Gardening Examples and Inspiration

• The largest urban orchard - This large scale operation includes 500 fruit trees on a reclaimed site (Vancouver). 
  
• 100 Dollars a Month - This blog is devoted to growing food at home and spending only $100 dollars a month on groceries (Oregon).
  
• Adventures of a Thrifty Mama on a City ‘Stead - This blog shows how families can save money growing food on even the smallest of areas (Lansing, MI)
  
• National Garden Festival - A six week long garden party with a front yard garden competition (Buffalo, New York)
  

Garden "How-To's"

• Square Foot Gardening - Growing food efficiently in small spaces.
  
• Straw Bale Gardening - Growing food in straw bales without tilling or plowing.
  
• Vertical Gardening - Making the most of small spaces by growing up.
  
• How to build a raised bed - Simple instructions for building your own raised bed.
• Easy irrigation systems for raised beds - From DIY to pre-made kits, these strategies make watering easy. You can create these almost "set it and forget it" systems.
• DIY seed starting and Seed starting basics can give you a head start and save lots of money.
• DIY grow lights are useful for seed starting and less expensive than some pre-made kits.
• DIY LED light spikes might be useful for overwintering plants indoors.
• How to install a front yard vegetable garden - Design tips and practical advice.
• Front yard gardens: More than grass - "Liz Primeau was ahead of her time when she transformed her manicured lawn in the suburbs into a mixed garden with a profusion of flowering plants, shrubs and cacti. Ever since, she has enjoyed an eyecatching front garden that requires no chemicals and little watering."
• Vegetable Gardening for Dummies - a recently published visual guide helpful for novices and those looking to get started in gardening.
  

 School Gardening & Nutrition

• Slow Food USA's School Garden Guide - Plans, ideas, and resources for designing, building, maintaining, and promoting school gardens.
  
• Kids Gardening - Grants, curriculum, resources, and products for involving kids in gardening at home or school
  
• School Gardens as Outdoor Classrooms - Guide for connecting gardens to classrooms.
  
• Life Lab - Curriculum and resources for experiential learning in the garden with kids at home and at school.
• Nutrients for Life - Soil science curriculum for elementary, middle, or high school.
• Edible School Yard - Curriculum, resources, and support for school gardens.
• Eco Literacy - Lots of resources for teaching sustainable living.
• Farm to School - Connects school to locally grown produce to improve quality of school lunches.
• Cooking with California Food for California Kids - Seasonal, healthful recipes for the school cafeteria based on foods kids already like and can be adapted to other regions.
  
• Rethinking School Lunch - A guide for helping schools implement healthier lunches.
• Earth Easy - a guide for gardening with children, including tips on what to plant.