A community garden is great for adults and children in the community to come together and share in the growing of fruits and vegetables or flowers. With proper planning a community garden is beneficial to the community including friends and neighbors and it can really bring a sense of togetherness to the all involved. While there are many steps that should be considered and followed in planning a community garden, these five steps are most important for all community gardens no matter where the location. Take these steps to planning a community garden and then build on them when you plan your own community garden in the area where you live.
Steps to Planning a Community Garden Step 1: Determine Need and Type of Garden
Does your community actually need a community garden? This is the first step to planning a community garden. If there is no need for the garden because the entire community already seems to have their own individual gardens at home then there will likely be little involvement in the community garden. However, if there are very few gardens in the area or there is a lack of a particular type of garden such as a vegetable garden then there will likely be high involvement in a community garden when formed.
Determine the type of garden as well: Will you plant fruits, vegetables, herbs, flowers, or trees?
Steps to Planning a Community Garden Step 2: Determine Who Will Be Involved
Will the community garden be for children to take part in or will it be for seniors? Will the garden be meant for a specific group of people in the community such as the stay at home moms or the blue collar dads or the Mexican population or–the options are endless based on your community. If you live in an apartment complex maybe the garden will be for members or residents of the same complex. Determine who the garden will serve and set guidelines to this.
Steps to Planning a Community Garden Step 3: Begin Forming a Group or Committee
The gardening group or committee will make important decisions regarding the garden, they will act as the voice for the community and they will help you in the final phases of planning the community garden. In addition to acting as the community voice for the garden, the committee will vote to make rules and changes to the garden over it’s future course and they will also work together to help locate funding or sponsorship for the garden. Put together a committee that is as diverse as the community or the people to be involved in the community garden to assure that there is equality in the voices and opinions being addressed.
Steps to Planning a Community Garden Step 4: Location
The next step to planning a community garden is to determine a location for the garden and getting permission to use the site. Whether the garden will be on a rooftop where you may need to sign a lease for the area or it will be at a library, you will have to have a plan in place when you begin the search for a location. Most owners of the property that you are searching out will want to see your plan and know what the area will be used for so be prepared to give a presentation of your community garden plans and have the committee prepared as well.
Steps to Planning a Community Garden Step 5: Develop Contact List and a Garden Name
The final steps to planning your community garden is to develop a sufficient contact list and also a name. The community garden is like a small organization so it should have a name and an organized list of contacts in case of emergency, conflict, issues or any other pertinent and relevant things that may come up during the gardening. The community garden is not an over night project that you can just give up on after a few weeks. It’s a way of bringing the community together and in time the community will count on you to maintain that relationship.
