1. Community Giving Gardens:
A Guide for Project Leaders
Revised: November 2011

2. INTRODUCTION Leveraging employee talent. Strengthening
partnerships. Improving communities.
Welcome!
This guide is the culmination of a Six Sigma project to create a
comprehensive, global “toolkit” on how to lead a successful Community This project is
Giving Garden CIT project based on the straw-bale gardening method.
engaging volunteers
The information in this guide was collected by the 6S team from the
people who are directly involved in Giving Gardens: From the volunteers across the company.
who plant the seeds to the community partner agencies that receive the --Nihal Shetty, Fridley CIT Leader
plentiful harvest; from the CIT and Corporate Responsibility leaders who
envision the big picture to the project leaders who implement that vision
each step of the way. This guide also includes information from expert
gardeners and external resources, which are listed in the bibliography at
the end of the guide.
As a winner of the 2010 Environmental Challenge, the Community
Giving Garden is a leading example of a best-practice CIT project. The
first Community Giving Garden was planted in 2010 at the Fridley (MN,
USA) plant of Cummins Power Generation. In 2011, the project
expanded to Cummins sites in southern Indiana: Columbus Mid-Range
Engine Plant and Seymour Engine Plant. The community garden also
extended into CPG Fridley’s community partner CommonBond
Communities, which has set up gardens at several affordable-housing
sites in Minnesota and Wisconsin.
But the history of the Giving Garden doesn’t stop there. This guide
has been provided as a tool to project leaders interested in planting their
own seeds, wherever that may be. We hope you find this a useful The Fridley Community Giving Garden
resource to make that happen. team accepts the 2010 Environmental
Challenge award.
2

3. TABLE OF CONTENTS
Table of Contents
 Intro to Straw-Bale Gardening………….. Page 4
 Project Planning…………………………. Page 5
 Installation………………………………... Page 10
 Conditioning………………………........... Page 13
 Planting……………………………........... Page 14
 Garden Maintenance………………......... Page 16
 Harvest & Delivery………………………. Page 17
 Teardown…………………………………. Page 22
 Appendix………………………………….. Page 24
 Bibliography………………………………. Page 28
3

4. PROJECT PLANNING
Intro to Straw-Bale Gardening
How does one design the perfect garden?
Let’s face it – gardening has its frustrations. Weeds, weather conditions, pool soil, moisture, pests, disease and the
back-breaking work can all take its toll on even the greenest of thumbs. When the Fridley project team was
considering what method of gardening to employ, they chose a lesser-known method using straw bales, which is a
form of container gardening.
Types of gardening methods What a straw-bale garden needs
 In-ground  Sun
 Raised bed  Water
 Container  Relatively flat space
Examples of Containers How a straw-bale garden works
 Pot or planter box  A straw bale is a container held
 Old boot or antique urn together by string.
 Straw bale  The bale is “conditioned” to allow the
inner straw to decay.
Benefits of a straw-bale garden  When the straw inside the bale
 No tilling starts to decay, it forms a compost That’s what this is: A
suitable for plant growth. form of container
 Less weeding
gardening, but a much
 Fewer bugs and animals Where to find straw bales more sustainable one.
 Less prone to disease  Local farmer --Melissa King, Fridley
garden leader
 More capable of handling frost  Garden centers
 Less bending  Holiday displays (churches, schools)
 Creates its own compost  Craig’s List (www.craigslist.com) or
other Local Classifieds
 Holds moisture well
 Can be located almost anywhere
4

5. PROJECT PLANNING
Identifying Community Need
 Need to ask…
o What are the hunger issues in my local community?
o Is there a need in the community for fresh produce?
o What are the organizations we currently partner with
through the Community Involvement Team? A grand opening ceremony was held in July
o Who would benefit from fresh produce? 2011 at Glenbrook Apartments in Milwaukee,
Wis., to celebrate the community garden –
one of several on-site gardens at
CommonBond Communities residential
programs.
 Once the need is established, solicit information from community partners.
o Set up initial meeting with program director or other agency representative to learn about the
organization’s current operations, meal program(s), and need for fresh produce. (See Appendix
A and B.)
 Select community partners
 First-year gardens should identify no more than three (3) community partner organizations to
partner with. If multiple opportunities exist, a Cause & Effect Matrix may help to prioritize
recipients. (See Appendix C.)
5

6. PROJECT PLANNING
Identifying a garden location
With community organization(s) identified to receive the produce, you can now move forward with getting a garden
set up. This is where engagement with Health, Safety & Environmental (HSE) and Facilities leaders is most
important. While it is true that a straw-bale garden can be placed virtually anywhere (since the soil underneath the
bales is irrelevant), it does need to meet all other site requirements.
Site identification
1. Is it near a water source?
2. Will it be in full sunlight for 6-8
hours a day?
3. What are the policies and laws
surrounding safety and
environment?
4. Is it easily accessible to
employees? How visible is it to
Turning lemons into lemonade. When Seymour
employees and the general
Engine Plant (Seymour, Ind.) project leaders discovered that public?
they could not place their garden on the rooftop or on the
asphalt due to environmental restrictions, they resorted to an
elevated ivy bed against the building. In fact, it turned out to be We selected the site based on open
an ideal location, SEP garden co-chair Renee Wilson said, due areas around the plant with easy
to the high visibility as employees walk past the windows. water access and high visibility. It is
There was a secondary benefit, too: “The bales are waist high very important to have the garden in
and require even less effort as there is no bending required,” an easy access point so people can
Wilson said. run out for short visits.
--Amanda Williams, CMEP CIT
Leader
6

7. PROJECT PLANNING
Creating a Shopping List & Budget
One benefit of the garden project is much of the material can be reused year after year, so the start-up expenses will
go away after the first year. It is also important to check with your Facilities team and other colleagues to find out if
any items (tools, hoses, etc.) can be donated. The source of the straw bales may also be willing to offer bales for
free or at a discount, or deliver at no charge.
Potting
Materials Checklist
soil  Straw bales*  Scoops
 T-Posts (6 feet)  Garden clippers
 Post driver  Wire cutters and/or
Plant  14-gauge steel wire pliers
Heavy garden hose 
markets Watering can

 Soaker hose(s) – UV  Supply storage bin
Wire
cutters
resistant, rubber  Tomato cages
 Watering timer  Plant markers
 Watering manifold  Seeds*
T-Post and post Tomato cage (splitter)
driver
 Plants or seedlings*
 Garden staples or  Garden gloves
landscape pins
 First-aid kit
 Fertilizer (15M High
Nitrogen 32-0-5)*  Scale
Garden staples  10-10-10 Fertilizer*  Volunteer log & pen
 Potting soil*
Trowel * denotes a consumable
 Trowels
Soaker hose
7

8. PROJECT PLANNING
Recruiting volunteers
There are at least two types of volunteers needed for a project like this: short-term and long-term volunteers. Short-
term volunteers are generally involved in one-day events, such as installation and teardown. Long-term volunteers
are generally involved in the ongoing harvesting and delivery. Knowing this, you can target your recruitment efforts
to engage the right type of volunteer.
Type of volunteer Participation Recruitment ideas
activities
Short-Term •Installation • Engage manufacturing
•Bale conditioning leaders to enlist their teams
•Planting • Create an event on
•Teardown MyCommunity
Long-Term •Planting • Site-wide posters, e-mails
•Maintenance • If second-year project, enlist
•Harvest first-year volunteers to help
•Delivery recruit others
•Communications
8

9. PROJECT PLANNING
Layout configurations
Stars
Yellow represent T-
Squares Posts for
represent Trellis
Straw Bales Support
9

10. INSTALLATION
Installing the bales
1. Coordinate delivery of bales.
2. Line the bales according to the selected layout. Position the bales so that the cut side is up, folded side down. The
strings are horizontal (parallel to the ground), not vertical. North to south facing is best but not required. Place bales
far enough apart to mow between rows and to avoid crop shading.
10

11. INSTALLATION
Installing supporting hardware
Materials needed:
 T-Posts
 14-gauge electric fence wire
 Post driver and/or large mallets
 Wire cutters and/or pliers
Installation:
1. Post or stake at the end of each
row with up to five bales between
posts.
2. Use 14-gauge electric fence wire
to create a trellis between stakes.
11

12. INSTALLATION
Installing the water system
Materials needed:
 Soaker hoses
 Regular heavy-duty hose
 Faucet timer
 Stakes or garden staples (Wire
coat hangers work well, clipped
and re-shaped into an upside-
down “U”) Watering manifold: Each soaker hose is
connected into the regular hose for easier, more
consistent watering.
Installation: U-shaped wire for staking the
hose in the bale
1. Place the soaker hose in a
straight line or “snaked” across
the row of bales directly on top of
the bales. Stake the soaker hose
in place.
2. Attach the timer to the faucet.
3. Attach the regular hose from the
faucet to the soaker hose.
Soaker hoses are “snaked”
across the row of bales.
12

13. CONDITIONING
Conditioning the bales for planting
Why do we need to condition the bales?
Straw bales must decompose in order to create the nitrogen-rich media for plants to grow. To do so, there is a
simple 10-day formula of nitrogen-enriched fertilizer, moisture and time to force the decay process.
Conditioning Schedule Fertilizer 101
Day 1: Sprinkle evenly ½ cup per bale Ammonium Nitrate The three numbers on a bag of
(34-0-0) fertilizer. Then water aggressively until water fertilizer represent the proportions of
three important plant nutrients:
runs out bottom Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium,
Day 2: Water in that order.
Day 3: Sprinkle ½ cup (34-0-0) evenly per bale + water. N-P-K
Day 4: Water Nitrogen is the primary nutrient for
plant growth.
Day 5: Sprinkle ½ cup (34-0-0) evenly per bale + water. Phosphorus encourages rooting,
Day 6: Water blooming and fruit production.
Days 7-9: Sprinkle ¼ cup (34-0-0) evenly per bale + water. Potassium helps plants resist disease
and be hardy in winter.
Day 10: Sprinkle 1 cup (10-10-10) evenly per bale + water.
Day 11 or 12: PLANTING!
13

14. PLANTING
What & When to Plant The first goal was, ‘Let’s grow
something.’ Then it kept
growing.
What to Plant --Melissa King, Fridley garden
Vegetables, root corps, vine crops, leaf crops, herbs and flowers. Annuals, not leader
perennials.
What Not to Plant
Anything that is tall, like corn, is not recommended because it becomes too top-heavy
and unstable.
When to Plant
Cool-season crops can be planted on Day 11 or 12 after the bales are conditioned.
They are hardy and can endure colder temperatures and short periods of frost. Cool-
season crops include beets, broccoli, carrots, lettuce, radishes and onions.
Warm-season crops can be planted after the last frost because these plants cannot
handle the cold or frost. Warm-season crops include tomatoes, beans, cucumbers,
zucchini, peppers, tomatoes, melons and squash.
**Best Practice Ideas**
• To ensure your planting aligns with the Community
Partner needs, the best thing to do is consult the
agency. One exercise is to have the agency rank a
list of fruits, vegetables and herbs (that are available
and within budget for purchase, of course). Or, have
the agency survey their clients to really get their
clients engaged.
14

15. PLANTING If people want to understand how the
Companion Planting different plants work together, then you
plant a variety of plants in each row.
--John Pendray, Fridley garden core
The theory behind companion planting is that certain team member
plants can benefit others when placed next to each other.
They may help by deterring pests or depositing nutrients
into the soil that another plant requires to grow. This
method of gardening is beneficial to the environment
because it reduces the need for pesticides and fertilizers.
For more on companion plants, research on the web or
visit your local agricultural agency or research institution.
Onions and beets **Best Practice Ideas**
are planted
together in one • Create a Produce Reference Guide to
bale. Onions help help educate your garden volunteers.
beets and other
Collect information that identifies each
plants by
producing a strong produce in the garden, such as what
odor that repels helps/hinders their growth, time it takes
insects. to harvest, and photos of what a ready-
to-harvest crop looks like. Keep this in a
three-ring binder in the storage
bin/shed.
Flowers are
planted in the • Clip diagrams of the bale layouts (see
sides of each bale Appendix D for an example) to the trellis
to attract good above each bale using plastic sleeves
insects such as and clothespins. This will ensure seeds
bees and are placed where they should be and
butterflies, and to
repel pests. will help identify plants when it comes to
harvest time.
15

16. GARDEN MAINTENANCE
While the garden grows…
The seeds have been planted… now what?! Volunteers should visit the garden at least once per week to do
any weeding and check on the progress of seeds and plants.
Weeding. Some weeds may sprout; pull or cut as necessary.
Observation. Look for possible problems or issues such as dry plants, diseases, insects, pests. Let Project
Leader know of any issues.
Education. Improve your vegetable knowledge by reading about the produce you've planted.
Collection. Start saving those containers you buy strawberries, blueberries and tomatoes in. Bring them to
the garden shed for collecting harvested produce. Also, save plastic shopping bags for harvesting and
delivery of produce.
**Best Practice Ideas**
• Create a Produce Reference Guide to help to help educate your
garden volunteers. Collect information that identifies each produce in
the garden, such as what helps/hinders their growth, time it takes to
harvest, and photos of what a ready-to-harvest crop looks like. Keep
this in a three-ring binder in the storage bin/shed.
• Plan a “garden party” that will be held during peak harvest season.
Include company leadership, community partners, the general public
and the media, and send invitations now!
• Develop a communication campaign. Invite others to “come watch
us grow.” Host a Lunch & Learn to recruit volunteers.
16

17. HARVEST & DELIVERY
Preparing for the harvest
Educate volunteers.
Offer as much training as possible, especially for first-time gardeners, on plant identification, garden
maintenance and the harvest. Solicit more experienced gardeners to help out first-time gardeners. Education
is empowerment!
Create a detailed schedule. Having a weekly schedule
helps. We have that
Work with community partner(s) to develop a schedule, such as deliveries once or expectation that something
twice a week. For instance, designate Mondays and Thursdays as harvesting is coming.
days and Tuesdays and Fridays as delivery days. Rotate each team through the --Liz Meyers, Alexandra
delivery schedule. House volunteer coordinator
Set up drop-off location and designate a “central depot” volunteer.
Having a dedicated volunteer with the right resources – a nearby refrigerator and plenty of space to weigh and
store incoming produce – is a critical part of the harvest and delivery process. Be sure to leave out a Harvest
Record in case this volunteer is out of the office when a delivery arrives.
I can hear something from
one gardener and pass it
along to another gardener
and it makes us more
connected.
--Nanette Cubus, Fridley
garden volunteer and
“central depot” for harvest
17

18. HARVEST & DELIVERY
Harvesting
The harvest season can inspire many
special occasions – from the very first
harvest to the 100-pound milestone, to the
1000-pound milestone and beyond. With a
growing season that lasts for months –
how many depends on the climate – it is
important to keep volunteers motivated
through those “blue-thumb” days.
**Best Practice Ideas!**
• Constant communication. Send e-mail
blasts to volunteers on a regular basis. You never know what you’re going to find. When CMEP
These messages could include a Garden Leader Heather Wilson was picking radishes
“Featured Produce of the Week,” a one day, she did not expect to see this five-foot-long
reminder to harvest or a milestone radish at the other end. The root alone was 26 inches.
announcement.
• Encourage team challenges and
decorations to add some flair.
• Host a “garden party” or a Lunch &
Learn session. With the garden in full
bloom, it’s the perfect opportunity to invite
employees, leadership, community
partners, the media and general public to
see the garden grow. Serve dishes directly
from your garden! Better yet, provide
garden recipes for attendees.
• Provide garden tours to recruit new
volunteers mid-season. Flamingos were the theme of the CMEP garden
in 2011.
18

19. HARVEST & DELIVERY
Harvesting: In Their Own Words
It leverages our employee talents and skill sets.
There’s a huge variety of people (at --Sue Piva, Corporate Responsibility Manager
Cummins), so it really pulls the different
functions together better. So you actually
see people that you would never see at
I’ve taught people on my team what a
work; you’ve been working at the same
carrot looks like or when peas should be
building for years but you never see each
harvested.
other. So you actually get out there and find
you have a common interest. --Dennis Otremba, Fridley garden
--John Pendray, Fridley garden core team volunteer
It gives the employees
member something outside of their
normal duties to attend to and
watch grow.
--Paul Homer, CMEP CIT
“It gives people a destination.
sponsor
There are some people who
I encourage the people who are would never leave their desk if
working in the garden to try the
they didn’t have a destination.”
produce you are growing. You’re more
inclined to try something new if you are --Melissa King, Fridley garden
growing it yourself; you have an leader
investment in growing it. They (the residents) go out and pick it
--Melissa King, Fridley garden leader directly from the garden. It gives them
a feeling that I picked it directly out of
the garden.
--Wally Kammeier, resident of
The garden is therapeutic in a way. CommonBond Communities’ Norwood
-- Kendall Bannister, SEP garden volunteer Square and garden leader
19

20. HARVEST & DELIVERY
Delivery
Ideally, delivery should happen the day after each harvest. It **Best Practice Ideas!**
is important to keep in regular contact with community
partners to understand if the delivery schedule and the • When bagging produce for
produce they are receiving are meeting their needs, and the delivery, include the product
needs of their clients. name and cooking instructions.
• If the produce goes directly to
Remember to invite the community partners clients, attach a tag explaining
out to the garden, too! where the food came from (i.e.,
‘This food was grown by
Cummins employees at
[Seymour Engine Plant] and is
donated to you through the
[Anchor House Pantry
Program]. Please enjoy these
healthy food choices for you and
your family.’
• If the garden yields excess
produce, consider freezing or
canning for off-season
consumption.
Barbara Cummings, the food pantry coordinator at Love Chapel,
visits the CMEP Giving Garden.
20

21. HARVEST & DELIVERY
Delivery: In Their Own Words
We always enjoyed getting the
lettuces, anything that can be put
into a salad. We have a green “I have my twins, Braeden and
salad for every lunch or dinner. Tristen, who are seven years old,
--Liz Meyers, Alexandra House helping me out with deliveries to
volunteer coordinator Anchor House every Friday. They
get so excited to see how much
more we are getting every week.
Tristen said to me, "Mommy,
these people are so happy when
we bring the food. I saw how that
I delivered once last year to an
lady started smiling when we elderly care facility. They were
walked in the gate.” able to come down and take some
vegetables to cook in their
-- Kendall Bannister, SEP garden apartment’s kitchen. They were
volunteer surprised to see something that
didn’t come from Rainbow or Cub
Foods.
--Dennis Otremba, Fridley garden
volunteer
It’s not the company giving money to a
need, but empowering the employee to
make a difference and participate on even It would also be good to get
the simplest level. feedback from those receiving the
produce, to keep the volunteers
--Renee Wilson, SEP project leader
motivated.
--Colby Christensen, SEP garden
volunteer
21

22. TEARDOWN
Teardown
Similar to installation, work with the Facilities team on the logistics of garden teardown and removal of all
material from the site. If you are reusing any equipment, document where ALL items are being stored so
that you can find it next year.
Composting
Interested in composting the straw for use in next year’s garden? Here’s how!
Research. Understand local laws regulating what organic waste can be composted , where and how.
Structure. Enclosing a compost pile in a structure prevents material from blowing around and also
speeds up the composting process by creating a insulation layer to warm the center of the pile. Enclosed
structures are also usually required by law. Structures can be purchased at stores such as garden centers,
or built manually. They should be: (1) cylindrical or cubical in shape (2) about 5 feet x 5 feet x 5 feet and
(3) built from woven wire fencing and metal posts, or rot-resistant wood, wire and metal posts.
Preparation. Build your compost pile in layers, beginning with 8-10 inches of organic material. Water it to
the point of being moist, but not soggy. Then add a nitrogen source, such as ammonium nitrate,
ammonium sulfate or an inexpensive high-nitrogen lawn fertilizer without herbicide. Sprinkle the pile with
1/3 to 1/2 cup of fertilizer per 25 square feet of surface area (a 5-foot by 5-foot bin.) You may choose to
add a one-inch layer of soil or completed compost over the nitrogen to increase the number of
decomposing microbes in the pile. Repeat these layers until the pile reaches a height of five feet, watering
each time you add new layers.
Maintenance. An active compost pile will heat to130-160° Fahrenheit. As the center cools, turn the pile to
help speed decomposition (about once or twice a month). Continue to water your compost pile periodically
to keep it moist but not soggy. A well-managed compost pile will be ready in two to four months in the
warm season, and a pile not well tended will take a year or more. When completed, the compost pile will
be about half its original height.
22

23. TEARDOWN
Analysis
VOLUNTEERS PRODUCE MATERIALS/FACILITIES
• Number of volunteers • What produce grew well? • Was the location
• Number of EEEC hours What did not? effective?
• Volunteer recruitment – • Total yield, and yield by • Can materials and
what was effective? date supplies be reused?
• Volunteer feedback • If companion planting • Can materials and
was done, was it effective? supplies be stored on-site?
• Was employee time used
effectively? What • What pests, weather
improvements can be conditions, etc. were
problematic? COMMUNICATION
made?
• How much weeding • What communication
needed to be done? methods were used for
COMMUNITY PARTNERS volunteer recruitment?
• Community partner • How were volunteers
BUDGET
feedback educated and prepared?
• Was the project within
• Were the expectations of • What communication
budget?
the community partner methods were used to
met? • What materials/supplies engage people (internal
were purchased but not and external) to the
• Was the delivery process needed? garden?
effective?
• How can budget be better • What improvements can
• What are controlled? be made?
recommendations for next
year’s planting? • Is there funding and
interest to expand the
garden?
23

24. APPENDIX A
Agency Interview Guide Example
Community Organization: Date:
Interviewer(s): Interviewee(s):
Who we are and why we're here:
 Cummins Power Generation is a Fridley Business dedicated to improving the communities in which we live and work. Our company and
employees regularly contribute to CommonBond and we are exploring ways in which we can continue to improve that partnership.
 The purpose of this interview is to determine if the people that use the services of CommonBond have a need for additional produce in
their diets in order to meet the guidelines created by the USDA Food Pyramid.
 This visit is strictly to collect information it will not be shared with anyone outside of Cummins Power Generation and CommonBond.
We want to talk directly to CommonBond:
 To get a clear picture of what some of the nutritional needs of our community are
 How much need is there
 And how those needs are currently being met
Questions
1. How many clients do you serve at this location? What are their age ranges?
Children: _____ 2-3 years _____ 4-8 years _____ 9-13 years _____ 14-18 years
Adults: _____ 19-30 years _____ 31-50 years _____ 51+ years
2. Please describe the role of your organization as it relates to the diet of your clients.
3. How would you describe the diet of your clients? Why is it that way?
4. What types of produce do they consume? Is it primarily fresh, frozen or canned? What would they like that they don’t currently have?
5. What would be the most effective method to distribute produce to your agency?
6. Please describe your produce storage capacity.
7. Please describe how your clients might like to get involved in providing their own produce. Does your facility have the capacity to have
an on-site garden?
8. Please list any other benefits you foresee from receiving fresh produce at no cost.
9. Please describe anything we may have missed or any disadvantages you perceive from receiving donations of fresh produce.
10. This is the end of the interview. Before we go, is there anything you would like to tell us?
11. Would you mind if we contacted you again in the future if we have any more questions?
24

25. APPENDIX B
Food Pyramid Guidelines
Fruit
Vegetables
25

26. APPENDIX C Cause & Effect Matrix for Determining
Community Partner Recipients (example)
26

27. APPENDIX D Companion Planting -
Diagrams
Lettuce
or Peppers
Swiss & Onions
Chard
Radishes
Tomato
& Carrots
27

28. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Bibliography
 Brown, Deborah L. and Rosen, Carl J. Backyard
Composting. University of Minnesota Extension
Service, 2011.
http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/horticultur
e/DG3899.html
 Karsten, Joel. “Straw Bale Gardening.” Roseville,
Minn. http://strawbalegardens.com
28