Growing the movement - Plant edibles in your community!
Kousa dogwood fruit
Imagine public edible landscapes becoming the norm in communities across the region. Help manifest this vision by networking existing efforts, expanding to new communities, and aligning towards specific goals. Help Yourself is looking to start chapters in communities in the Valley and beyond. A regional network of groups offers structure and support to the edible landscaping movement - exchanging resources, strengthening connections and creating opportunities.
- If you're interested in getting the ball rolling in your neck of the woods, please get in touch! We'll send you outreach materials and try to connect you with interested folks, resources, and possible allies nearby. Email: [email protected] or fill out the form below to get started.
- You can download and print out the outreach, promotional, and example materials at the bottom of this page to help your process along.
The life cycle of a Help Yourself chapter:
Germination:
Germination:
- Flyering and outreach invites folks to form a local organizational group.
- Initial meetings identify allies in the area (comm. gardens, Transition Towns, etc.)
- Identify planting possibilities: schools, libraries, parks, vacant lots, comm. gardens, businesses...
Putting down roots:
- Apply permaculture design process to sites: assessment, analysis and polyculture work.
- Approach administration, maintenance staff and relevant parties with proposed garden design and maintenance plan.
- Fundraise by crowdsourcing, tabling & grants. Plants sourced from nurseries, donation, or other HYS groups.
- Community planting days grow awareness and excitement for the project.
- Maintenance volunteers are connected to plantings. Outreach, fundraising and design volunteers recruited to regular meetings.
Ripening the fruit of community:
- Plantings expand yearly as does publicity. Create lasting connections with community organizations involved with cultural transition.
- “Fallen Fruit” chapters can form, connecting food to those in need and organizing around local food security as existing trees are mapped.
- Education offered to community in the form of plant walks, grafting, permaculture, etc.