Public Lab Wiki documentation



gardening toolkit

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Simple, appropriate technologies for great garden outcomes

Meeting your environmental goals is easier when you track your progress and use what you learn to improve your practices--and results--over time. The basic cycle of "adaptive co-management" (pardon the jargon) is goal setting, action, monitoring, reflection, and adaptation. This toolkit comes in two parts:

  • Part 1: social event guides
  • Part 2: tool making and research methods guides

Part 1: event guides

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Start Here

Collaboratively create a picture of your place.

Link to Start Here guide


Set Goals

Define your goals and choose which ones you want to measure progress towards.

Link to Setting Goals guide


Choose how to track your progress

Choose how you want to measure, then design fun, "field-proof" measuring activities.

Link to Choosing How To Track Your Progress Guide


Schedule the season

Schedule out daily and occasional events across the whole season.

event guide


Reflect and Look Forward

Come together to review and reflect on a season's worth of observations. Take stock of last year's outcomes and make adjustments as needed for the upcoming year.

event guide



Part 2: how-to guides

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1. Pole mapping

Change your perspective! See your garden from above. Map your garden layout and track changes through the years.

how-to guide


2. Infrared imagery guide

See plants photosynthesizing. Experiment with cultivation methods and see which types of plants thrive. Can be combined with pole mapping

how-to guide


3. Program tracking guide

Growing tons of food? Diverting compost from the waste stream? Coordinating work among lots of volunteers? If you're tackling these or other programs in your garden, barn.farmingconcrete.org has simple methods that you can use.

how-to guide