Balamb Garden was the first of the three Gardens on the planet and it was founded by Cid Kramer and Norg, from the Shumi Tribe. Cid needed money in order to build his training facility for the SeeD Mercenary Organization, and so he presented his idea to Norg, one of wealthiest members of the Shumi Tribe. Norg agreed to fund the project because he was convinced that the Garden could become profitable very quickly. The site chosen by Cid Kramer and his wife was on old abandoned Shelter on the Balamb continent. The name "Garden" was chosen by Cid and his wife Edea, because they wanted to “plant the seeds of the future in their gardens.”
Once the Garden opened for business, Cid and Edea began traveling the world, going to orphan shelters, which were filled due to the last war against Esthar. It took over ten years for the first class to graduate, but it was worth it. The Garden quickly made a name for itself and Garden Mercenaries and SeeD Mercenaries were in demand across the world. Over the next five years, Norg made all of his money back and the Garden became extremely profitable. Norg then went on to form a agreement with a skilled wizard / business man named Martine. The two worked together to found the Galbadia Garden, which quickly formed an agreement with the Galbadia military. The third and final Garden was built several years later by other members of the Shumi Tribe and was called the Trabia Garden.
What separated each of the three Gardens was an area of specialization; Balamb Garden specialized in Guardian Forces, Galbadia Garden specialized in magical weapons, and Trabia Garden chose to specialize in special powers. Cid Kramer, based on research by Dr. Odine, discovered the Guardian Forces and traveled the world to discover new ones and he was able to make agreements with the three Guardian Forces that were near Balamb Garden. As part of the graduation requirements, all Balamb Garden students must bond with at least one of the three Guardian Forces located on the Balamb Continent. Cid believed that the Guardian Forces provided significant power to his students, but he was unable to convince the other Gardens to use them.
Relations between the other two Gardens and Balamb Garden is not perfect, Cid Kramer was not directly involved in the founding of either of the other two Gardens and neither believe that Guardian Forces will ultimately prove useful. Only time will tell if Guardian Forces are more powerful than the magical items of Galbadia Garden or the abilities of Trabia Garden’s students.
The two most important positions in any Garden is the master and the headmaster. The master of Balamb Garden is Norg and he has the final say in all mercenary assignments for Garden Mercenaries or SeeD Mercenaries, but he rarely becomes directly involved in the SeeD Mercenary Organization, unless it conflicts with another mission. Cid Kramer is the headmaster of Balamb Garden and he is responsible for creating the curriculum for the Garden and he is the real leader of the SeeD Mercenary Organization. Cid is also responsible for recruiting new students and promoting new faculty and students. Two years ago, Cid chose one of his students, a girl named Xu, to handle the day-to-day operation of the Garden while he is preparing for his own retirement.