Kitchen Gardeners International: How to form a gPod

By John Walker, founder and lead organizer of Kitchen Gardeners Bluegrass (KGB)

First of all, don’t start alone.
You will need a small group (2-4) of like-minded people who can support the vision and help organize and take care of projects.

Find out if there are any groups that already exist. Can you work with them or form a network of organizations? Beware of established gardening groups who may feel that you are intruding on their turf. Do your homework and make connections. I did all of this, but still managed to tick off the local "experts". One of the consequences of organizing 'new' groups is that you will encounter resistance and mistrust.

Don't try and be too organized
But do have hands-on, experiential meetings at a regular day, time and location. Kitchen Gardeners Bluegrass is not organized in that we do not have officers, dues, mission statements etc. We do, however, have regular meetings.

Keep your information and programs simple.
We endorse Mel Bartholomew’s square foot gardening method. Don’t give too much information out at one time.

Come up with a group name, logo, and and an appropriate geographic area to cover.
Our members are based in the Lexington (KY) area, but we chose the name Kitchen Gardeners Bluegrass because it had a nicer ring to it. When thinking about your future group, consider what geographic area you can cover and look for an appropriate name to go with it. KGI can help with this and creating a group logo.

Have a meeting venue that is suitable for a demonstration garden.
We have one at a local church which we use for hands-on work, and KGB has adopted some beds at the arboretum (where my wife is education coordinator). These beds are used for other programs but KGB has adopted them, which means we maintain them and have a say what happens to the harvest.

Try and find public forums at which to get the message across.
I have had booths at our local arbor day, peace fair and peace and justice dinner as well as speaking with other smaller invited groups. Find local experts who will come and talk, so you don’t have to do all the programming.

Set up systems for staying in touch with each other.
Once you have critical mass of about 5-10 people, you'll need to set up an e-mail list (KGI will help with this). Circulate a sign-up sheet at meetings so that you collect information about potential new members.

Make a business card and flyer
I also ordered some bumper stickers, originally for sale to cover cost, though people thought they were free. Lesson, unless you have a lot of spare cash be careful about printing a lot of stuff. (I can send my examples if requested).

Go with the flow.
Though you may have a vision, until you have been together for a while, that vision may not yet resound with the group. Make use of the energies in the group. This process allowed one of the members to organize the making of over 100 tomato cages and 40 pepper cages from 4 rolls of wire concrete reinforcing mesh (600ft). Over 15 people bought into the process who bought the cages at cost much cheaper than they could buy inferior ones at the store. Vision is important, but don't let it drive you to the exclusion of other opportunities.

Find other gardeners.
Use kitchen gardens to open conversations. It is quite amazing how many gardeners are out there. Read about local gardening, make contacts with local papers, especially the free ones.
Connect with county extension agents, local CSAs, food co-ops, college departments, etc.

Final Words
-Conserve energies and maintain a focus. Learn to say thanks, but no thanks.
-Show gratitude, even through clenched teeth.

Finally, don’t give up. Be patient. Don’t be so single-minded you miss good opportunities. But also don’t get hooked to others coat-tails if they seem to be going in a direction that you are uncomfortable with. This process is very dynamic and if you are open to them, resources come at you thick, fast and furious.

Posted by KGI on June 17, 2007 3:56 PM to Kitchen Gardeners International
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Kitchen Gardeners International is a 501c3 nonprofit organization that relies on the financial support of individuals to fund its educational and outreach activities. If you found this information useful, please consider becoming a KGI member. Thank you.