Green Thumb Challenge - How to Participate

Once you have signed up for the Green Thumb Challenge, you are officially a participant in the largest youth gardening event in history!

1. Decide what you want to accomplish. Your first step is to choose a garden project. Decide on the purpose for your garden - do you want to plant a large vegetable garden that will help your community emphasize healthier habits and nutrition? Or a container garden planted with flowers and plants that will attract wildlife? The possibilities are numerous. Utilize the Garden Approval Planner to focus your goals, and guide you through the planning process. Be sure to involve the kids - from the earliest stages of the planning process, ask them about their vision of the garden, and what they want to grow.

For participants seeking a shorter time commitment, visit the Garden Activity Center or the Green Thumb Challenge Curriculum section to find fun activities and standards-based lessons linked to gardening and composting. Planting seeds with students for the first time just takes a class period, but can make a big impact. These lessons can also be integrated into larger projects to enhance the educational opportunities within your gardening program.

2. Thinking big? Form a team. For large gardens, you will need to get community buy-in from the start. Talk to administrators, custodians, parents and other school community members to create a plan for larger projects - visit Form a Leadership Team for steps and suggestions.

3. Choose your site/location. Visit the Get Ready section of the website to ensure that you have selected a site that is suitable for a garden. If the location is in urban area or adjacent to a painted building, get a soil test to be certain of soil quality.

4. Determine needs/assess your resources. Visit the Get Ready section of the website to choose a garden package that is right for you. Before spending a dime, start within your own community to determine available supplies and support. Extra tools, pots, plants and volunteer help (from construction to art to plumbing) may be on hand and waiting at the wings!

5. Determine costs/purchase supplies. Utilize the GEF Budget Calculator to find a list of recommended garden tools and use the easy on-screen calculator to calculate costs. Visit 5 Steps to Pay for Your Garden to gather the remainder of funding/supplies necessary for your garden project. From send-home letters to grants, you will find the resources you need in GEF's Fundraising Resources. Remember: always begin with donation requests. Your local garden, hardware and big box stores will likely get behind your youth gardening project and will be as supportive as they can be.

6. Plan a garden launch date. Invite families and the community to participate. In preparation, visit the Get Set section for groundbreaking and construction tips, and the Grow! section for step-by-step planting instructions.

7. Develop a maintenance schedule. Healthy gardens need consistent care and monitoring. From weeding to watering, you will find the support you need in the Garden Maintenance section.

8. Start a compost. Compost is the nutrient-rich soil that forms from the decomposition of your organic waste (i.e. kitchen and garden scraps), and it is the best organic fertilizer there is. Teach kids valuable lessons in the food cycle, organic gardening, and the recycling of their own waste. Make compost now and your flower pots and your vegetable plots will thank you in the spring!  Visit the Composting section for everything you need to know to start your own compost bin, indoors or out.

9. Explore the interactive resources and sign up your group on the GEF Online Community! The largest social network dedicated to environmental education, for teachers and by teachers, the GEF Online Community connects people worldwide who share a commitment to environmental awareness.