Victory Gardens 2007+ (VG2007+) is a concept currently being developed by Garden for the Environment and the City of San Francisco's Department for the Environment.

The program is a two year pilot project that supports the transition of backyard, front yard, window boxes, rooftops and unused land into food production areas. VG2007+ has the mission to create and support a citywide network of urban farmers by (1) growing, distributing and supporting starter kits for home gardeners, (2) educating through lessons, exhibitions and web sites and (3) starting and maintaining a city seed bank.

Each Victory Garden is delivered by a city gardener via the VG2007+ tricycle and includes a Starter Kit, lesson and one follow up harvest and seed saving lesson.

The program's ultimate goals is to reinhabit a portion of the original Victory Garden space in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park and perform the duties of development, maintenance, and operation.

October 2006-January 2007
We have given away 3 gardens in San Francisco— one garden in each microclimate zone: sun belt, transition belt and fog belt. Through the support of the SFMOMA and a Eureka grant from the Fleishhacker Foundation we have been able to develop a starter kit and plant three gardens that serve as test beds for this project. Garden for the Environment is currently housing and developing the seed bank.



City Support:

September 2006- January 2007
Matt Gonzalez and Dave Grenell served as liason's to the city for VG2007+. President of the Board of Supervisors, Aaron Peskin organized
a meeting to introduce the proejct to a wide range of city departments which resulted in a very postive response and interest. As a result, Jared Blumenfeld, director of the Department for the Environment and Daniel A. Sider, Director of City Greening agreed to support the program.

Department of the Enironment

January 2007
The Department for the Environment is working with us to:
- develop a low-cost starter kit
- distribute a small number of kits over the next year
- sponsor a Summer '07 conference to collectively define a new Victory Garden program for San Francisco.
- provide support and advice where needed

Mayors Office of City Greening

January 2007
Daniel A. Sider has agreed to be a point person and offer support wherever possible while we develop our program over the next year.

Redevelopment Agency + Model Block Project

November 2006
The Redevelop Agency is currently working with residents of the 1700 block of Newcomb street in Bay View Hunters point to "preserve, maintain and enhance the housing stock for the benefit of current and future residents and would like to include Victory Gardens 2007+ in the program. This would be an opportunity to demonstrate the various configurations of home gardens. This is a community led effort and is currently being shaped and designed by the efforts of residents of the block.



Garden for the Environment

October 2007
Garden for the Environment (GFE) agreed to be a partner in the development of the program and has offered a space in their garden to develop a demonstration "urban backyard".


GFE will present public workshops, lectures and film screenings around the theme of food and farming, two interests with implications for a wide range of fields including the politics of resource allocation, sociology of consumption, science of agriculture and the technology of renewable resources to name a few.  A wide range of practitioners will be invited to teach workshops, lecture and present work.




Goals:

Over the next 12 months we will develop a small program that will consist of 1. Planting 10 gardens throughout the city. These 10 gardens will demonstrate:
- the diversity of food that can be grown in San Francisco
- places food can be grown — rooftops, window boxes, decks, front yards, back yards etc.
- seed saving techniques

2. Developing a low- cost starter kit and method of distribution

3. Develop a program and space to grow starters to distribute in the starter kits.

4. Develop a city seed bank.

5. Seek a permanent home for the VG2007+ Demonstration Garden:
A plot of land demonstrating possible configurations for growing food in small urban areas.

Starters + Seed Production Location:

Currently we are working with Garden for the Environment and Alemany farms to provide a physical garden site and integration of VG2007+ into their existing educational programs, horticultural expertise and administrative support for the development of VG2007+.