We sell gardens so we can give them away.
A portion of every paid Build helps fund a Second Garden — a free install for a Pittsburgh household facing food insecurity. Sponsors fund Second Gardens directly. Same cedar, same soil, same design, same care as any paid garden. The mission is built into the pricing, not added on top.
Gifts to GardenSoon LLC · not currently tax-deductible · Pittsburgh MSA
Food insecurity is a garden problem.
One in seven US households couldn't reliably afford food in 2023. Meanwhile, the average American backyard is 10,871 square feet of mowed lawn. A small garden — two raised beds, soil and compost — produces enough fresh produce to change the math for a household.
Paid work funds free work.
The program runs on two revenue streams. Every paid Build in Pittsburgh contributes a built-in margin toward Second Gardens — not as a tip on top of the bill, but as part of how the price is structured. Direct sponsorships and gifts accelerate the pace.
Both streams fund the same work, at the same standard. Same crew, same soil depth, same design time from Josie, same season of mentorship. No stripped-down free version. No begging. No public apply form — Justin handles recipient matching directly with our pantry partners. The mechanism stays private to protect the household.
We're an LLC, not a 501(c)(3). Gifts aren't tax-deductible today. We're working toward fiscal sponsorship so they will be. Until then, we're honest about the structure — your gift goes directly to installs, and our accountant reports it as income.
The full install.
- 01 Cedar raised beds, 14" deep Western Red Cedar, hand-joined on-site by Jordan and the Amish build crew partner. Five-year workmanship warranty.
- 02 60/30/10 soil mix Screened topsoil, aged compost, vermiculite — delivered and filled to 14 inches.
- 03 Zone 6b starter plants + seeds Plants and seeds picked by Josie for the family's preferences and Pittsburgh's 178 frost-free days.
- 04 Custom design by Josie Site walk, plant list with varieties and quantities, full layout in PRO Landscape+.
- 05 Five months of mentorship Text Josie anytime, May through October. Monthly check-ins on planting cadence and harvest cues. Treatment guidance from Justin, our PA-licensed pesticide applicator, when pests or disease show up.
What a Second Garden costs us to install.
Cost model, published. This is what it takes to deliver the install — the same model applies whether the funding comes from a paid Build or a direct sponsorship. Subject to refinement after first-season install data.
Install cost allocation · per Second Garden
Cost model derived from our paid-Build install costs · actuals published in first quarterly impact report once Second Gardens are installed
Cost on the left. Output on the right. A real Pittsburgh-area garden in season — carrots, cucumbers, potatoes, green beans, zinnias on top. Not a Second Garden harvest yet; first installs land summer 2026.
Fund a family for a full season.
Your gift goes directly to Second Garden installs — cedar, soil, plants, design, and a full season of mentorship. No overhead skim, no admin fee, no middleman.
"I used to feel silly just taking a handful of peppers to the pantry — until I realized what three large, fresh, organic peppers cost at the grocery store, and what a gift it is for a parent who can't afford them."
Same logic at the install scale. Distributed funding works the way distributed gardens do — a lot of small acts, not one big one.
- → One-time or recurring — any amount
- → Direct gift to GardenSoon LLC
- → Thank-you note and program updates
- → Named on our sponsor list (or anonymous — your choice)
- → Quarterly impact report once installs begin
Email to sponsor.
For launch, sponsorships are handled by direct email — simpler for the first wave, and it lets us thank you personally. We'll reply with a payment path that fits (ACH, Venmo, check, or card).
First families, first season.
When the first Second Gardens install this summer, recipient families' stories — with their permission, first name only — will land here. Photos from install day, first-donation pounds, yields through the season. Real people, real produce, real Tuesdays.
Matched by Justin through our pantry partnership. Install this summer alongside our first paid Build. Their first-name quote, install photo, and first-season yields land here in our Q3 impact report.
Direct sponsorship accelerates the program. A paired gift plus cross-subsidy from a paid Build underwrites the next install.
Hard questions, clear answers.
We get these a lot. No spin.
Can I sponsor a free vegetable garden for a food-insecure family?
Yes. Gifts from individuals, businesses, and congregations fund Second Gardens directly. Email gardensoon@gardensoon.com — any amount, one-time or recurring. Suggested tiers: $50 funds plants and seeds, $250 funds a bed's cedar and soil, $1,000 funds the cedar build for a full Second Garden. Reply within two business days.
Are Second Garden sponsorships tax-deductible?
Not currently. Gifts to GardenSoon LLC are not tax-deductible contributions. 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsorship is in progress; this page updates when it lands. Until then, your gift goes directly to Second Garden installs and the tax accountant reports it as business income. No overhead skim, no admin fee, no middleman.
Is a small sponsorship enough to fund a Second Garden install?
Yes. Each tier ($50 / $250 / $1,000) funds a real piece of an install — plants and seeds, a bed's cedar and soil, or the full cedar build for a Second Garden. Distributed funding works the way distributed gardens do: a lot of small acts, not one big one. Cross-subsidy from paid Builds covers the baseline; small gifts compound on top.
How does GardenSoon pick recipient families for a free vegetable garden?
Justin, one of our co-founders, runs the pantry relationships and handles recipient matching directly. Households are identified by pantry partners who already know them. Matching happens privately — no public apply form, no means-testing on GardenSoon's side, no application pathway. Recipient privacy is the priority; details stay internal.
How are Second Gardens funded?
Two revenue streams. Every paid Pittsburgh Build contributes a built-in margin toward the program (cross-subsidy as part of the pricing). Direct sponsorships and gifts from individuals, businesses, and congregations fund Second Gardens above that baseline. Both streams fund the same work at the same standard — same crew, same cedar, same Josie design.
What does a free vegetable garden recipient get?
The same install GardenSoon delivers to any paying customer. Cedar raised beds, 14" of screened triple-mix soil, drip irrigation, zone-appropriate starter plants and seeds, custom design from Josie, and one season of mentorship with monthly check-ins and text-anytime support. No stripped-down free version. Same standard, same care.
When do Second Gardens install for food-insecure families?
First Second Gardens install summer 2026, alongside the first paid Pittsburgh Builds (week of April 27, 2026). The program scales with paid-install volume and sponsorship support. Pittsburgh installs run mid-April through late September across Zone 6b (and 6a at higher elevations); Second Gardens follow the same window with the same crew.
Is the recipient list for Second Gardens public?
No. Recipient privacy comes first. When a Second Garden shows up on the GardenSoon Network map or counter, it appears as a regular registered garden — never flagged as a program recipient. The matching mechanism, recipient details, and pipeline stay internal. Aggregated impact data publishes quarterly without identifying households.
Will GardenSoon publish a Second Garden impact report?
Yes, once there's real activity to report. Once the first Second Gardens are installed and producing, quarterly reports cover families served (aggregated, anonymized), pounds grown, and cost allocation actuals. The current cost model — 35% cedar, 20% soil, 18% design, 15% mentorship, 12% plants — gets refined with first-season data.