In Slow Food USA’s The Food Chain Magazine (Vol. III, issue 1) this month, there is an important announcement for anyone with a child in school – and for chefs who are working with schools on growing a garden, cooking, or learning about food.

You can now download the School Garden Manual that takes you step-by-step through building an edible schoolyard.

This comprehensive “how to” guide offers a clear roadmap for developing a successful school garden program based on Slow Food values, including best practices for design, implementation, curriculum, fundraising, volunteers and school policy.

Leading the project and a long list of contributors presenting best practices is Chef Andrew Nowak, the Slow Food USA School Garden Program Manager in Denver for the Seed to Table School Food Program of Slow Food Denver. The chapters detail how to set up a garden committee, how to design the garden and the nitty gritty like choosing to use raised beds or not. The downloadable book is a great resource for schools across the country – to shortcut to best practices for their own gardens. Click here for the link