Brunswick Dragon Garden

Category
Vegetable and herb Garden, Flowers and ornamentals

When was your garden project started?
2013

What type of facility hosts your garden?
Located at Brunswick High School

What programs does your garden project include?
After school club, Summer employment for students, cafeteria connection, donations to MCHPP

Does your garden have a paid coordinator?
Yes

Who volunteers in your garden?
During the School year the garden club students receive community service hours for work after school. Summer employment for students. Teacher and parent volunteers, and Master Gardeners working towards their degree.

How is your garden project funded?
The garden receives about 2,000$ a year for 1 garden coordinator. The rest of the funding comes from the sale of produce during summer farmers markets. Donations from the community in the form of seeds and some equipment and discounts from local business.

What community connections do you have?
The Brunswick School Community, Mid Coast Hunger Prevention Program (MCHPP), TOM SETTLEMIRE COMMUNITY GARDEN

Who tends the garden when school’s out?
1 paid Director of the garden who is a teacher @ BHS, 1 unpaid director also a teacher @BHS in training to replace currenter director when he retires. The Garden employs 8 students from the Brunswick High School who are paid by a state grant and additional money from sale of produce.

What are your future goals?
Our proposed project will transform the Brunswick High School vegetable garden into a prolific community garden providing a predictable and reliable source of produce to the Brunswick School Department free school breakfast and lunch program and to the Mid Coast Hunger Prevention Program (MCHPP). We will engage at-risk students from BHS in meaningful environmental, social, and economic activities as part of the community garden program. We aim to nurture a partnership between the Brunswick community and Brunswick High School (BHS) with the common goal of ensuring that all Maine children have consistent access to nutritious meals.

What is your most significant need?
The most significant need is more funding for a second paid director, upgrades to facilities such as running water ( we have a large 500-gallon tank that we use a 300-foot hose to fill up, watering 1/3 acer by hand using watering cans), additional fencing for protection against deer, landscape development to reduce wind evaporation of water, a greenhouse that has venting and temperature control, and finally additional funding in the future for student workers when the state grant runs out.