Communitygardening

dig in!

You’d like to start a Community Garden, are there Others?Building a community garden requires a group of people to get it growing. The purpose of the first meeting is to determine if there is enough interest in your community neighborhood for a Community Garden. While a few gardens have been successfully started by one or two people, most have drawn on the energy of up to a dozen people to get them going.

Things to think about before looking for other gardeners • TalktootheractiveCommunityGardeners,theyenjoysharingtheir experiences and expertise and will give you a good idea what to expect

• DoyouhaveapotentiallocationinmindforthegardenANDhave youtalkedtotheOutdoorServicesCommunityLiaisonOfficerfrom StrathconaCountyRecreation,ParksandCultureforavailable locations? • Call780-467-2211

Please note ifthelocationyouhaveinmindisonStrathconaCountylandyoumust ensure it’s a suitable location

Set up a meeting to find other gardeners.Things to think about when setting up the meeting • Advertisethemeetingatleastonemonthinadvance

• Advertisethemeetingbroadlymakinguseoffreepublicationslike school newsletters and community calendars

• Contactyourward’sCouncillortoseeiftheywillincludethe information in their newsletter

• Phonefriendstoextendpersonalinvitationstothemeeting

• Approachspecificgroupsinthecommunitythatmightbenefitfroma garden, for example, seniors groups or apartment dwellers and invite them to the meeting

• Holdthemeetinginanaccessible,neutrallocation(eg.Community Centre,LibraryorCountyHallratherthaninyourhome)

• NotifytheRecreation,ParksandCultureOutdoorServicesCommunity LiaisonOfficerofyourmeeting •Theywillassistwithsettingupthemeeting • Theywillhelpidentifyresourcesavailable • Theywillattendthemeetingtoprovidesupport

At the meeting • Keeptheagendasimple.Introducetheconceptofacommunitygarden andinviteaguestspeakerfromanactivecommunitygardentoshare theirexperiences.Askpeoplewhattheirinterestisandwhothegarden would serve.

• Discussthelocationofthegarden

• Discussanyfeesthatmayapplytothegardeners

• Ifthereiscommunityinterestinsettingupgarden,getalistofnames and phone numbers of interested people and brainstorm a “to do” list.

• Assigntasks

• Setthemeetingdateandlocation

Basic group and garden guidelines.Onceyouhavedeterminedthatthereisenoughinterestinyourneighbourhoodfor a garden and have a committed group to get it started, it’s time to decide how to organize yourselves. Gather gardeners three to four months before you want to startgardening.Forexample,ifyouwanttobreakgroundinMay,youshouldstartmeeting by the beginning of February.

Keepitsimpleatfirst.Youmayhavelong-termvisionsofeducationalandsocialevents, but in the beginning, focus on developing a clear idea of the garden itself andhowitwilloperate.Rememberthatsomeorevenmanyofyourgardenersmayonlybeinterestedingardening.Youranswerstothefollowingquestionswillhavean impact on the site you choose, your basic garden guidelines and your garden design.

Onceyou’velaidthegroundworkit’stimetocreatea“todo”listandaskpeopletocarryouttasks.Thelistwillprobablyincludedesigningthesite,determiningwhatyou need to set up the site, developing rules and regulations, recruiting gardeners, lookingforfundingandcommunityrelations.

Things to think about when setting up your Community Garden.1. Whatkindofgardenwillitbe?

❑Individualgardenplots

❑Communal garden plots

❑Combination

2. Whatsizeshouldthegardenplotsbe?

❑Small–3feetx3feet

❑Medium–5feetx10feet

❑Large–10feetx20feet

3. Whattypeofgardenplots?

❑In-ground

❑Raisedbeds

❑ Combination

4. Howmanygardenplots?

5. Whatwillwegrowthere?

❑ Vegetables

❑ Flowers

❑Annual

❑Perennial

❑NativePlants

❑Herbs

❑ Berry Bushes

❑ Combination

6. Whatwillthegardenbecalled?_________________________________

7. Allcommunitygardensmustbeherbicide,pesticideandinsecticidefree.

❑ Will the garden also be organic?

8. Isthereanyoneintheneighbourhoodwhomightobjecttoagarden?Ifso, how can you gain their support?

9. Haveyounotifiedneighbourswhosepropertyisnexttotheproposed garden either through a letter or a visit to answer to questions or concerns?

10. Whatwillbethecostforaplot?

11. Whatitemswillyouneedfundsordonationstocover?

❑ Water

❑ Group tools

❑Storagecontainer

❑Other

12. Whatequipmentandsupplieswillbeavailableformemberstouseand what will members have to provide themselves?

❑Tools

❑ Wheelbarrow

❑ Compost

❑Mulch

❑Rototiller

13. Howwillthegroupequipmentbestored?

❑Lock-box

❑Shed

14. Howwillwaterbesupplied?

❑Watertank(requiresabaseandaoverflowwatercapturesystem)

❑Meteredwaterline

❑Rainbarrels

15. Howwillgardensecuritybemaintained?

❑ Fencing

❑Neighborhoodeyes

❑Other

16. Howmanyhoursofsunlightdoesthelocationgeteachday?

• Requiresminimumsixtoeighthoursofdirectsun

17. Whendoyouwanttostartplanting?

❑April

❑May

❑June

18. Howwillgroupcommunicateduringtheseason?

❑ Email

❑On-sitemessageboard

❑Meetings

19. Howwillplotsbeassigned?

❑ First come first served

❑Lotterysystem

❑ Waiting list

❑Liveintheneighbourhood

❑ What defines your neighbourhood

20. Willthegardenersmeetregularly?Ifso,howoftenandforwhatpurpose?

• OrganizationalmeetingandSeasonwrap-upmeetingonlyorregular meetings?

21. Howwillthemeetingsberun?

22. Howmany“Core”Committeemembersdoyouhave?

• Shouldbeaminimumof10names

23. Howmanygardenersdoyouhaveconfirmed?

• Recordnamesandcontactinformation

❑Address

❑Phonenumbers

❑ Email address

24. WhowillbeyourGardenCoordinatorandwhatwillbetheir responsibilities?

• Thispersonwillneedtobeyour“gardenchampion”

• Willtheybethemaincontacttohandlephoneandemailinquiries?

• Considerhavingaknowledgeablegardenerworkcloselywiththe Coordinator

25. Whatresponsibilitiescanothergroupmemberstakeon?

26. Asagroupdevelop“GardenerExpectations”

• Keepthemsimple

• Includeexpectationsforindividualgardens,communalgardensand shared areas such as pathways

You’ve got your group of community gardeners, now what?As the Garden Coordinator • Determinewhatrolepeoplewillplay

• Assignleadershiproles

• Determineothertaskspeoplecanassistwithtogetthegardenready and confirm their involvement

• Set-upSpringsign-upandOrganizationalmeeting

• Determinefeesandexplainwhattheycover

• Set-upabankaccount

• Minimum2signaturesrequired

• Gardenerssign-upform

• WaitingListwithexplanationofhowitworksandreassignmentof abandoned plots

• Gardenmaintenanceresponsibilitiesofcommongardenareas

• Set-upfallseasonreviewmeeting

Resources.1. CommunityGardenNetworkofEdmontonandArea

• http://www.edmcommunitygardens.org

2. CalgaryHorticulturalSociety

• http://www.calhort.org

3. AllNewSquareFootGardening–MelBartholomew

4. NorthernGardener–JenniferBennett,1996.FireflyBooks

Source CommunityGardens,HowtoStartaCommunityGardenbytheCalgaryHorticulturalSociety