Page 122 - School Garden Development Guide - 4th Edition

Maintenance and Plant Operations (MPO)
School Garden Maintenance

If you recall, in the Planning section of this guide we talked about
the importance of creating a Garden Maintenance Plan and
assigning responsibilities for garden maintenance. Here’s why...
the maintenance of ALL aspects of the garden is the sole
responsibility of the school. Please do not reach out to our
MPO Department to maintain your school garden.

MPO Area Manager
Each school has an Area Manager assigned to oversee the school
grounds and facilities. We are extremely fortunate to have a
“go to” person to provide guidance in an area where most of us
are unfamiliar. It is very important to call upon and involve the
Area Manager whenever you are beginning a garden project,
modifying one or closing one down. Think of it this way, there are
so many rules and regulations at the federal, state and local levels
associated with school grounds and structures, there is really no
way that we could keep them all straight. That is why the Area
Manager is so important! They know these things and can involve
the appropriate District departments as necessary.

Consulting with the Area Manager
As it relates to school gardens, after you have met with your
garden team, created a vision, have a plan and are ready to take
action:
• Connect with the tech person at your school
• Print an aerial view of the potential garden sites using Google
Earth
• Clearly mark the potential garden sites so they can easily be
identified
It’s important to have this map ready before you reach out to the
MPO Area Manager.

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122 School Garden Development Guide - 4 Edition