The Idea
The Morgan Hill library, part of the Santa Clara County Library district, will be designing and creating a library garden. This will be a space that fosters connection between people and the land, the library, to food, and to each other.
The space will be co-created with community experts, library staff, volunteers, and community members. This will involve planting, growing, and harvesting seasonal produce and herbs, and participating in workshops about gardening and nourishing the community with its harvest (which will be detailed below). This initiative aims to create a space for people of all ages and backgrounds – especially those without access to gardening space- can plant, grow, harvest, and share seasonal produce and herbs. This space serves to help people who lack gardening space, want to develop sustainable living skills, or seek community connection. The garden will be sustained by volunteers, including UC Master Gardeners, community partners, and supported by the library’s seed library, and staff.
Mission & Institutional Context
SCCLD’s Mission and Vision: “At Santa Clara County Library District, YOU: Belong. Connect. Discover.” Vision: “The Santa Clara County Library District aspires to be an inclusive space where everyone feels welcomed, supported in their lifelong learning, and energized to help us evolve as a community. We will work to create a world in which access to knowledge, resources, and opportunities are guaranteed to all.”
Our libraries serve a diverse patron base. The garden invites people of all backgrounds to connect through co-caretaking a shared space that creates:
- a sense of belonging
- hands on learning with tools, techniques
- connecting with nature and to others, overall enhancing wellbeing
- enhancing food literacy and access
- creating an inclusive space for learning and wellness
- encouraging open intergenerational, multicultural communication with community members, experts, partners, and staff.
The space will be inclusive, a hub of life-long learning, a proponent for equity, a space for improving mental and physical wellness for all.
Action Brief Statement
Convince the Morgan Hill community, both library users and nonusers, that by enhancing the “farm to table” culture and creating a community garden for learning and sharing food and ideas, workshops, that they will gain practical knowledge and be empowered to take their health in their own hands, which will enhance their well-being, food security, and connection to their own community because the library is a trusted space for lifelong learning, enrichment, and connection.
LEARN AND UNWIND The UGA Cooperative Extension’s demonstration garden at the Gilmer County branch provides a place to relax. Photo by Alexander Thomerson.
“Library gardens help address food insecurity, ease environmental impact, provide stress relief, and serve as pandemic-safe space for community connection” – Erica Freudenberger, Library Journal
Inspiration
Community Gardens and Libraries: A Perfect Pairing https://medium.com/everylibrary/community-gardens-and-libraries-a-perfect-pairing-5d672130e67a
Growing library garden programs: https://www.webjunction.org/news/webjunction/growing-library-garden-programs.html
Growing practice: Library gardens https://www.libraryjournal.com/story/Growing-Practice-Library-Gardens
Photo by Brian Byrne/Kilcullen Diary from Growing library garden programs
Guideline & Policies
The plans for this garden will incorporate certain key concepts from Michael Stephens’ “Taming Technolust: Ten steps for planning in a 2.0 world.” It emphasizes inclusive learning, transparency, exploration of emerging tools, and continuing evaluation of the services that the garden provides, including communicating with the users and how it is or is not meeting their needs (Stephens, 2012). Just like the time it takes to establish a thriving garden, the project is a long-term goal that will thrive from strong roots that connect library staff and the community and serves as a model for expanding this service.
The initial planning will ensure that the space is ADA compliant and welcoming to seniors, families, low-income individuals and families, children, and unhoused patrons.
There will be space for seating where a group can participate in a class or workshop, locked storage for gardening tools to be safely kept, and areas for shade/covering that might be needed in case of extreme weather conditions.
Equipment storage and safety: tools will be provided by the library and will be kept in a locked shed when not in use. The Garden Lab will also be in an enclosed space that will be open during library hours or available with an appointment with point person who has the keys.
The Garden Lab will have a UC Master Gardener who will advise on planning and growth, along with 3-4 core partners including the Friends of the Library, gardening experts, local farmers, a dietitian advisor to help with meal planning and healthy recipes, library staff and administrators. The Garden Lab Program will have a monthly set schedule that includes times for workshops, harvesting, planting, maintaining, and a daily rotating group of experienced volunteers who will sign up to take care of the watering of the garden. Clear shifts and training will make sure that workload is balanced and that the garden is thriving.Workshops will include: soil care, watering, composting, seasonal planting, plant care, harvesting, weeding, other maintenance, natural pest control, recipes, meal planning (using AI integration for prepping what is available and in season), and how to grow things in limited spaces at home.
Oversight and policy approval: Developed with communication between SCCLD Staff, UC Master Gardeners of Santa Clara, community partners, Friends of the Morgan Hill Library, with SCCLD administrative stakeholders.
Timeline
Phase 1 (February-June) will include:
- Planning and designing the garden space, storage, enclosure, seating, ADA compliance. Building/installation of raised garden beds, soil prep.
- Purchasing tools, hoses, wheelbarrows.
- Collecting seeds, designing a calendar of what will be planted when (2 cycles of planting).
- Designing workshops according to the current undergoing phase. (ex: Compost 101, Soil Preparation, ect).
- Sending out marketing materials and sign-up sheets to recruit volunteers.
- Reaching out to farms, county resources, dietitians, etc for community partnerships and resources. Recruit teen volunteers for summer.
- Conducting Staff Training
Phase 2 (May-August):
- Start with Pilot plots of 1 or 2 beds, soil, starting compost, and planting seasonal produce. Cycle one of planting begins for fall harvest.
- Staff will be heavily involved along with community experts.
Phase 3 (August-November)
- Start with 2 workshops per month, gather feedback of who is coming, what resources they want to see at the library garden.
Phase 4: (January-March)
- Seasonal Rotations: Cycle 2 of planting in the early spring (January- March) and bring in fruit trees for long term growth (about five years).
Phase 5: Long term
- Expand program planning to AI Meal Planning workshops, nature art programs, wellness programs, school visits, senior center visits, take-home kits, aquaponics, etc.
Marketing & Promotion
This will include: flyers, social media, email newsletters, book displays, program schedules, outreach to schools and other library partners, farmers markets, summer events. Partner with food banks.
Staff Training & Readiness
- Partner-led training for staff interested (system-wide, not just the one library) on gardening basics and safety. Training with UC Master Gardeners and with experienced volunteers, experts in seasonal and local food, starting with gardening basics, planting, maintaining, harvesting, soil health, etc.
- Staff encouraged to learn along with patrons to encourage open communication and feedback. Gather feedback about staff interest. Staff should participate along with the community to encourage conversation about library programming, open environment for feedback, and general enrichment and reduce barriers with community.
- Clear shift guidelines and oversight on Garden Lab schedule.
Evaluation & Future Expansion
Surveys will be handed out after classes/workshops, but word of mouth feedback will be highly encouraged. Volunteers, staff, and program hosts will be encouraged to talk to the users that come in and discussed what they like and want to see more of in the space. Open communication will give us feedback on not just the garden, but for the library as a whole. We will also gather feedback with staff and small groups before launching a community wide program.
Reaching out via social media, looking at engagement statistics and number of attendees will also be a means of evaluation. We can look at meals prepped or photos of programs, plus if members make things at home etc.
Ongoing transparency: meeting notes, decisions, plans, photos, reviews, etc. timeline on Garden Lab page on library website and sent out in newsletters.
Future expansion could include: multilingual workshops, art and nature painting/journaling, mediation garden, rock painting, programs, creating a small garden at home with limited space, aquaponics, budget conscious meal planning with AI tools for nutrition, special cooking workshops for teens, and meal prepping for budget and healthy food with a dietitian,, exercise in the garden (tai-chi, yoga, etc), senior wellness, new gardens at other libraries or even a mobile service.
Sources:
Bradley, L. (2019, June 17). How to organize a community garden. NC State Extension Publications. https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/how-to-organize-a-community-garden
Considerations for starting a community garden. Urban Harvest. https://www.urbanharvest.org/gardens/starting-a-community-garden/
EveryLibrary. (2022, April 11). Community gardens and libraries: A perfect pairing. Medium. https://medium.com/everylibrary/community-gardens-and-libraries-a-perfect-pairing-5d672130e67a
Freudenberger, E. (2021, July 19). Growing practice: Library Gardens. Library Journal. https://www.libraryjournal.com/story/Growing-Practice-Library-Gardens
Fultz, E. (2025, Jan). Growing together Open forum: Seeking first steps outline for a small community garden. Kids Garden Community. https://community.kidsgardening.org/discussion/seeking-first-steps-outline-for-a-small-community-garden
Garden Help. UC Master Gardeners of Santa Clara County. https://ucanr.edu/site/uc-master-gardeners-santa-clara-county/garden-help
7 effective steps to start a community garden. University of Minnesota. https://ccaps.umn.edu/story/7-effective-steps-start-community-garden
SCCLD Strategic Plan 2023-2028. Santa Clara County Library District. https://sccld.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/66/2022/11/SCCLD-Strategic-Plan-2023-2028-1.pdf
Stephens, M. (2012, May 30). Taming technolust: Ten steps for planning in a 2.0 world. Tame the Web. https://tametheweb.com/2012/05/30/taming-technolust-ten-steps-for-planning-in-a-2-0-world-full-text/