Project Plan: Home Gardening Project (Essay Sample)

Project Plan: Home Gardening Project
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
Course
Title
July 5, 2022
Project Plan
Project Description
My project will be to establish a home fruit and vegetable garden for home consumption and sale. The project aims to develop a flourishing home garden to supplement family consumption and generate income. The home garden will occupy a plot of 15 feet by 40 feet. The fruits and vegetables to be grown are tomatoes, blueberries, beans, spinach, cucumber, and bell pepper. The plants will be grown in one season, between July and September, 2022.
Goals and Objectives
The goal of the project is to develop a flourishing home garden with a variety of organic vegetables and fruits to supplement family consumption and generate income. The objectives of this project include:
* To save 50 percent of my family’s monthly spending on groceries.
* To generate a minimum total revenue of $1,000 from the sale of produce.
* To minimize monetary investment for the purchase of key inputs such as fertilizers, seeds, and pesticides.
* To promote a healthy lifestyle through a more nutritious family diet that is more diverse and healthy, packed with various fresh vegetables and fruits. According to Barrett (2011), fruits and vegetables with the shortest time between harvesting and eating have the highest nutritional value because nutrient degradation is minimal.
* To promote physical activity. The physical activity required in gardening boosts flexibility, body strength, and motor skills (Chalmin-Pui et al., 2021). It also improves cardiac health and immune response. The garden provides a space for mental relaxation and stimulation, which relieves stress and anxiety (Schmutz et al., 2014).  
Preliminary Analysis
Before starting the project, a preliminary analysis will be conducted to ensure that the project is feasible. The following are the components of the preliminary analysis.
* Legal Compliance/Approvals - given that I intend to sell the produce through farm direct marketing, I will ensure that I comply with the rules and regulations governing home gardening in my area. The regulations relate to on-farm food safety, pest control, processing, and packaging. Since the property is governed by a homeowner’s association, I will ensure that the garden plan complies with the requirements of the homeowners’ association rules.
* Location – The garden will be located in a spot with plenty of sunlight, water access, and protection from harsh weather conditions. I will use raised beds because they are flexible and can be conveniently placed.
* Soil – I will procure loose, rich, and well-drained soil. Vegetables do not grow well in poorly drained areas or spots. Additionally, healthy soil reduces the incidence of pests and weeds.
* Seedlings and Tools – I will ensure that I have a reliable local supplier of seedlings. I will also procure all the necessary tools for the gardening project. The tools needed include a rake, gloves, hand trowel, and fencing materials.
Project Timeline/Duration
The project timeline is 3 months (June – August 2022). Figure 1 shows the sequence and timelines of the project activities.
left36068000Figure 1: Gantt Chart
Stakeholders
The stakeholders of this project are my immediate family, daily wage worker, customers, extension officer, volunteers, regulatory authorities, and the community. My family is a primary stakeholder in this project – the project's purpose is to produce vegetables and fruits for subsistence. I will hire one daily wage worker who will provide the labor needed to prepare the garden, plant the seeds, maintain the garden, and harvest the produce. My family (including myself) will provide part of the labor needed to accomplish the project goals and objectives. I will also consult on the best farm practices from a local agricultural extension officer.
The extension officer will advise on what to grow, the soil structure, texture, and porosity, crop management, and marketing. The local government will provide the legal approvals required for the project. A proportion of the produce will be sold to customers. The project will provide organic, quality, and affordable vegetables and fruits to customers. Volunteers (such as friends and neighbors) will be highly encouraged to assist in the project to cut the project costs. The project will benefit the community by providing fresh produce and helping reduce environmental impacts through sustainable farming.
Risks and Potential Problems
There are several risks and potential problems facing this project. Firstly, the project requires significant financial resources, and access to the required capital might be difficult. The project will utilize personal and family financing and borrowing from friends and well-wishers. Secondly, the gardening project will be implemented several weeks after the planting season. There will be excess sunlight during the project duration, which could affect the yield. The project has a short timeline, and all the crops may not be ready for harvesting by the time the project is terminated. Thirdly, the occurrence of weeds is a common problem in gardening. If weeds occur (and reoccur) in the beds, additional labor will be required to eliminate them, raising the project costs. Pests and diseases pose a risk to the project. The home garden will be one hundred percent organic. If there is a disease or pest infestation, manual intervention will be required as an alternative to pesticides. The manual intervention involves manually killing the worms or insects and removing the infected leaves. This process is time-consuming and costly (if the worker undertakes the task).
Additionally, there is the risk of theft or dogs destroying the garden. Vinyl fencing will be used to withstand because of its durability and ability to withstand changing weather conditions. However, the fence will be short, making the garden vulnerable to theft. Dogs could also jump over into the garden and destroy the crops. Additional gardening hazards such as cuts, scrapes, insect bites, sunburn, back problems, and heat exhaustion might also occur. Cuts, for example, will require the victim to take a break to heal, thereby derailing the project. These hazards may also increase the project costs and affect the project schedule.
Action Plan for the Home Gardening Project
Table 1 shows the action plan for my home gardening project.
Table 1: Action Plan
Action

Responsible Individual /Group

Date to be completed

Follow up

Resources Needed

 Prepare the project plan

 Frank Cheng

 July 6

  -

Time
Knowledge
Data

 Determine garden location, crops to grow, and legal approvals required

 Frank Cheng

 July 10

  -

Time
Data
Funds for legal approvals and transportation

 
Prepare raised beds

 
Frank Cheng & Family

 
July 16

  -

Time
Funds for procuring raised beds and buying gardening equipment (e.g. gloves, rake, etc.)

 Procure and plant seedlings

 Frank Cheng & Family,