Week
#2: Growing the Group
1. Preliminary Planning Stage (Identifying the type of garden
for your group, writing a mission statement, setting goals, making
a skills & resources inventory, seeking sponsors & allies)
2. Organizational Planning Stage: Developing leadership, the
Steering Committee & Other Crucial Committees, the Garden
Coordinator; Acceptance & Implementation
3. Developing Garden Guidelines/ Rules/ Rights & Obligations
of Membership
4. Community Relations
5. Vandalism
6. Troubleshooting
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GROWING YOUR GROUP STEP BY STEP
The following lays out the stages of group development for the
community garden. Despite what you may think, the creation
of a community garden does not begin with getting land and
building the garden, but rather with forming and growing a
group of people committed to the garden’’s eventual
creation. There is first a preliminary planning stage, followed
by an organizational planning stage--and all before you set
foot on the site.
1. PRELIMINARY PLANNING STAGE
THE FIRST STEP
Hold an informal community / neighbourhood get-together to see
if there is enough support, need and interest to start a community
garden. If you and a group of at least 5 other people feel that
there is, then next step is to form a preliminary planning committee
whose job is to create an organizational plan and structure for
the proposed community garden by carrying out the following tasks.
Some of the tasks should be completed as a group; others can
be carried out by fewer members, some will be ongoing into the
next phase and beyond.
Encourage everyone to participate. If you are with an agency
or community group that is sponsoring the project, make an effort
not to do everything yourself, even if the rest seem to expect
it. Too much dependance upon an outside agency will create a
habit that is hard to break.
TASKS:
- If after the meeting there are fewer than 6 people, then do
more outreach--talk it up with community members until there
is a large enough group to proceed.
- In either case, seek more members. A group of 6 is large enough
to begin the creation of a community garden, but more members
are needed to truly make it a garden by its members. Encourage
active participation from all members. Discourage any feeling
of ““hierarchy”” between the ““old”” and ““newer”” members.
- As a group designate someone to keep accurate records of the
meetings of the planning group. Or rotate the task among all.
- Make an inventory of the members’’ skills, interests,
knowledge, and strengths. As new members join, add them to the
inventory.
- Create an inventory of other resources that you presently have,
such as land, tools, money, etc.
- Create an itemized list of resources needed, such as land,
tools, money, etc. Be as specific as possible and include everything
you can think of. (more in Week 3)
- Name the responsibilities that must be taken on to meet the
needs, acquire the resources and support the mission. Assign
tasks based upon the skills inventory and involve everyone according
to their interests and expertise.
- As a group, consider if this garden will have a special focus:
will it be for seniors, children, youth, low income community
members, disabled people, people with specific health problems
(such as diabetes), will it be a healing or therapy garden for
people with emotional problems, etc. If so, it is essential that
people from these groups participate in all stages of planning.
Don’’t create a garden FOR someone , create it WITH
them.
- As a group write a mission statement that unites the group
and the garden to a larger purpose Vision + Action = Mission.
Some examples: ““Our mission is to strengthen our
neighborhood by creating a beautiful garden where people can
get to know each other.”” or ““We believe
that everyone has a responsibility to preserve our gardening
heritage. Towards that we plant open pollinated, heirloom varieties
only.”” or ““All people have a right
to eat healthy and nutritious food. The harvest of this community
garden is donated to our local foodbank.””
- As a group choose a name for the garden. It may seem an unimportant
thing at this stage of the project, but naming the garden will
make it seem that much closer to reality.
- Set some attainable goals for the next year. Create a timeline
in which to reach your goals. Constantly re-evaluate them. Start
small--you can always add more.
- Seek allies, sponsors and affiliations within the community,
such as community or health centres, city councillors, local
businesses, schools, daycares, hospitals, public housing authorities,
public service organizations, faith-based organizations, food
banks or other non profit organizations.
- See what local experts and organizations exist that could provide
help at this and every step of the way. These might include:
horticultural societies, garden clubs, other community gardens,
local landscape designers and architects, local schools and community
colleges that have a landscaping program or offer courses in
landscape design and construction, municipal parks and recreation
departments
- As a group, consider the garden’’s format: vegetable,
flower, native plants, heirloom varieties, butterfly habitat,
etc. or a combination of these and other formats. This decision
may or may not be finalized at this stage.
-As a group, develop the conditions of membership and decide
upon some recruitment policies. (more work may b e done on this
in Stage 2)
- Decide on a contact method for the garden and person to maintain
them --a mailing address, telephone number,email address.
- Decide upon a regular schedule of meetings until these tasks
are completed.
- Record members’’ contact information: mailing address,
phone, email and distribute to all members, if agreed upon. If
members do not yet wish to share their personal contacts with
each other, then designate one person to be responsible for contacting
all members when necessary (such as calling a meeting, etc. ).
This is definitely more cumbersome and more work for the contact
person.
- Identify several possible garden sites and investigate ownership.
- Prepare a preliminary budget and investigate possible funding
and revenue sources. The budget will grow and become more specific
as the format of the garden becomes more specific. Include such
items as land acquisition fees (if any) water access, fencing,
soil improvements, removal of existing items on the site, tools,
seeds and plants, storage, sitting area, signage, composter,
garden coordinator’’s salary or honorarium (if possible),
etc. It may also be necessary to have some form of insurance
coverage. - Once fundraising activities are immanent, the committee
should open a bank account with at least two signatures necessary
for withdrawals.
.
PRE-PLANNING STAGE: STEP 2
Hold another community or neighbourhood meeting. At this meeting
the Planning committee will:
- Present the organizational plan and structure for the proposed
community garden
- Call for volunteers to form an official Steering committee.
Many of the members of the first stage planning committee may
want to be on the steering committee but an effort to add new
members should be made.
- Create the following committees and call for volunteers to
join and/or chair them Finance & Fundraising, Membership,
Site (Design and Layout, Construction), Communication, Education,
Social Activities.(See below for an itemized list of tasks for
each committee) A member of the Steering Committee should be
on each of the other committees and may be the chairs, although
that is not necessary.
- Schedule the first committee meetings, including the steering
committee.
- Introduce the sponsor. If no sponsor yet exists, now is the
time to brainstorm with the community for ideas.
- If there is no definite site for the garden, seek help from
those at the meeting to identify possible sites.
-If you have accomplished the above tasks, the group is now ready
to enter the Organizational Planning Stage
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2. THE ORGANIZATIONAL PLANNING STAGE: DEVELOPING LEADERSHIP,
THE STEERING COMMITTEE AND OTHER CRUCIAL COMMITTEES, THE GARDEN
COORDINATOR; ACCEPTANCE AND IMPLEMENTATION
Once you have completed the preliminary planning stage, the next
step is to create an organization that will guide the community
garden not just in the start-up phase but also for the life of
the garden. This is done through a committee structure, either
formal or informal, and the work of the committees is presented
to the general membership for approval before anything is adopted.
The more members that participate in this planning stage, the
easier it will be to create a community garden organization that
is reflective of it’’s members.
DEVELOPING LEADERSHIP
Strong, responsive, and responsible leadership is the core of
any successful community garden. The leadership role is shared
between the Steering Committee and the Garden Coordinator and
should not rest on any one individual’’s shoulders.
If only one person assumes the majority of the leadership role,
the garden’’s long-term survival can be jeopardized.
The steering committee provides direction, motivation, and shapes
and develops the garden as a whole. The garden coordinator is
the person most closely involved with the day to day activities
of the garden and is the lynch pin of the organization. A well
organized, knowledgeable, dynamic coordinator can be an instrumental
factor in the success of the garden. It should be a goal of the
steering committee to find this ideal type of person for the
coordinator position, but at the same time to establish a strong
organization that ensures the garden’’s continuity
with or without the coordinator. Coordinators may change yearly,
but the steering committee must ensure that the garden does not
depend on one individual for its survival.
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THE COMMITTEES
Membership on committees should be encouraged as a way to grow
future leaders, as well as to accomplish key garden tasks. There
is a tendency for the same people to take on the majority of
the tasks but this should be avoided in order to prevent too
much of a hierarchy among members. Sometimes all people need
to participate is an invitation, extended sincerely and often.
The activities listed below include both preliminary and long-term
ongoing tasks and all do not have to be accomplished before the
garden is in the ground. By prioritizing them you can decide
which need to be accomplished before and which are ongoing.
All committees should try to meet at least once a month and should
set goals and timelines in which to accomplish their goals.
THE STEERING COMMITTEE
The steering committee is the driving force behind the garden’’s
creation. It is up to this committee to provide overall leadership
and to clearly establish the project goals and objectives.
Responsibilities:
- Planning and setting goals and policy. It is the Steering Committee’’s
responsibility to see that these are accomplished, adhered to,
and evaluated and re-evaluated throughout the garden’’s
life.
- Fundraising. Even though there will be a separate Fundraising
Committee, this is an important function of the Steering Committee
as well.
- Participation in the other committees,. Each committee should
have at least one Steering member, possibly as chair.
- Leadership and active participation at special events.
- Representing the community garden at public events.
- Liaising with other local, regional and national community
gardening organizations (i.e., Toronto Community Garden Network,
the American Community Gardening Association).
- Decide if there will be a garden coordinator & how will
this person be chosen. Will it be a volunteer position or will
the group fundraise for it or perhaps it will be a staff person
from the sponsoring agency (if there is one). The Steering Committee
will oversee the work of the coordinator and will represent the
entire garden in this role. See below for a description of the
coordinators duties.
- Other things to consider (in conjunction with the Membership
Committee) are policies around organic vs. chemical fertilizers
and pesticides, plot upkeep, water use, donations of produce
to a food bank or shelter, children in the garden. Include these
policies in the Rules and Guidelines
- To develop a method for the general membership to vote and
make decisions: consensus, majority, quorum, etc.
Possible Membership:
- Representatives of sponsoring agency or group
- Representatives of supporting organizations
- Site coordinator
- Committee chairs - Garden members
- Community leaders (financial, political, and community service
based leaders)
- Advisors (horticultural, administrative, public relations,
fundraising)
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THE GARDEN COORDINATOR
The coordinator’’s job involves working longer hours
during the peak season, the ability to earn the respect of the
gardeners, diplomacy, sensitivity, and tact, the ability to scrounge
materials, supplies and favors, as well as basic horticultural
knowledge and the firm belief that it is possible to effect change
by building community.
If at all possible, the coordinator’’s position should
be salaried. The demands on that person’’s time can
be enormous, especially during the first year that the garden
is in existence. If a salary is beyond the capabilities of the
fledgling garden group, then some sort of honorarium can be considered.
But the main requirement for this role remains commitment and
time, whether there is a salary or not.
The steering committee should go through a thorough hiring process,
open to all garden members for comment, not only to ensure that
the best person for the job is chosen, but also to avoid any
problems further down the line. Though the coordinator reports
to the Steering Committee, she or he must have the full confidence
and approval of all garden members to be successful.
If it is decided, for whatever reason, to have a volunteer garden
coordinator, it is still essential that this person is subject
to the same type of approval process. If the first person to
volunteer is given the role of coordinator, without any general
discussion and approval, there is bound to be someone else who
would also like the job and who will harbor bad feelings about
the way in which the person was chosen. Everyone must be given
equal opportunity to volunteer for the role.
A key attribute of the coordinator (and of any leader) is the
ability to listen well, to hear another person from their perspective.
A good listener hears not only facts but also feelings. Paraphrasing
or restating the person’’s words in your own terms
can help to clarify the message and also shows the speaker that
you have heard what they said.
Give everyone a chance to voice their opinion, and be sure everyone
feels heard. Sometimes it is just as simple as that. ““Seek
first to understand, then to be understood.”” Always
try for ““win –– win vs. lose –– lose””.
Responsibilities:
Depending upon the size of the garden, the coordinator may be
responsible for all of the following, or may call upon committees
for help:
- Respond to questions and concerns of gardeners and other volunteers.
- Plan, coordinate and supervise special work projects.
- Make sure that the Rules and Regulations devised by the Steering
Committee are adhered to.
- Mediate in disputes between gardeners, with the approval of
the Steering Committee
- Keep a record, both photographic and written, of the garden’’s
progress.
- Keep a record of minutes from all committee and group meetings.
- Provide horticultural information, with help from local experts,
if necessary. - Assist committees in carrying out projects.
- Coordinate mailings of newsletters or announcements.
- Write reports to donors.
- Disperse money and keep a record of expenditures, subject to
the Steering Committee’’s approval.
- Solicit donations for the garden site and for special events
such as seeds, plants, mulch, lumber, refreshments.
- Form relationships and networks with other organizations that
can offer support to the garden.
- Recruit volunteers for special projects.
- Assist in planning and supervising planting, maintenance and
clean up of the site.
- Assist gardeners in harvesting and weeding, if they are unable
to do so themselves.
- Arrange for guest experts to address the group on topics of
interest.
- Maintain tools and equipment.
- Represent the garden at events and media opportunities.
- Knows how to listen
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THE FINANCE & FUNDRAISING COMMITTEE:
Responsibilities:
- Begin to prepare a detailed budget itemizing all aspects of
the garden’’s development. Use the inventories (Resources
on Hand & Needed), prepared in the initial planning stage
and add to them as the project becomes more detailed. Remember
to include volunteer labour and items which might be donated ““in
kind”” (goods and services, instead of cash). Many
organizations which provide funds do so on a matching basis and
will usually consider ““in kind”” donations
to be acceptable.
- Identify and approach sources of funding, both public and private.
- Solicit service clubs, local businesses, individuals, and corporations
for donations (cash and in-kind).
- Attend special functions and meetings with funders.
- Network and establish relationships with potential funders.
- Plan and conduct fundraising events.
- Oversee expenditures
- Evaluate the success of their fundraising efforts.
- Ensure follow-up and thank you to the donors from the community
garden group
- In conjunction with the Steering & Membership Committees
decide upon a fee structure (whether or not you will charge a
fee for the use of the plots, will it be a flat fee or a sliding
scale based upon ability to pay, size of plot, number of gardeners
per plot, etc.).
- Be sure to thank donors. Enlist the help of the Communications
Committee. Consider having a volunteer appreciation day during
the summer to gather all of the garden’’s contributors
together. (in conjunction with the Social Events Committee).
Possible committee members:
- Anyone with past experience as a fundraiser, either professional
or volunteer.
- Community leaders (financial, business, and community service)
- Professional administrators
- Writers
- Media, marketing and public relations professionals - Gardeners
- Steering committee members
- Garden coordinator
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THE SITE COMMITTEE (the activities of this committee will be
dealt with in more detail in Week 3)
Responsibilities:
- Site acquisition: Create a list of potential sites and evaluate
them on their suitability
- Approach site owners about arrangements for the use of the
site. if you don’’t know who the owner is, most municipalities
will provide that information through the Planning Department
or the Hall of Records. Often a city councilor can help find
this information and assist in the approach to the owner.
- Site inventory and assessment: As soon as a suitable site has
been acquired, a detailed, scaled plan should be drawn up, showing
existing features of the site and its surroundings.
-Decide what materials will be needed and how they will be obtained.
Many local merchants may be willing to donate materials such
as lumber, soil, seed, sand, paving materials etc.
- Now is also the time to identify construction and gardening
skills within (or close to) the group and to assign tasks based
upon those skills. If you’’re lucky there will be
carpenters, landscapers or stone masons that are willing to help
with the site construction.
- Site design
- Coordination of site preparation, including layout of plots
and soil improvement.
- Construction planning, coordination and overseeing implementation
- Coordination of water facilities and irrigation (this may be
a job for a subcommittee).
- Ensuring the upkeep of maintenance standards, with the help
of the coordinator.
- Organizing spring and fall cleanup.
- Special projects
- Composting facilities
Possible committee members:
- Steering Committee members
- Garden coordinator
- Gardeners
- Master Composters and Master Gardeners
- Landscape architects or designers
- Others with landscape construction or other construction backgrounds
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MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE
Responsibilities
- If necessary, the membership committee should outreach into
the community to find more participants. Based upon the previous
experience of committee members, decide upon an outreach strategy.
Often word of mouth is more effective than putting up notices
or handing out flyers, but each community is different. Go with
what has worked in the past, but don’’t discount
new ideas too quickly. City councillors’’ offices
can often be enlisted to help with this, as can community centres.
-Decide whether there are any membership requirements such as
geographic, age, etc. Try to be as inclusive as possible.
-Prepare and maintain an inventory of the members’’ skills,
expertise and interests. This is especially important for recruiting
committee membership and during the garden’’s construction.
Make sure to get this information from new members as they join.
it can be part of a registration form.
- Decide upon obligations of participation: Most community gardens
ask their members to participate in a certain amount of group
work days per year, usually for spring and fall clean up. All
members should participate in these activities--it increases
the sense of community. If some members are unable to participate
because of physical limitations, find something else for them
to do. But excusing a member from a group activity because they
are :””too busy and don’’t have the time”” is
not a good idea.
- Draw up a draft Rights and Obligations of Membership. Establishing
clear rules (or guidelines) now can head off arguments later
on. Include clear procedures for settling disputes and consequences
for contravening the rules. The committee draws up a draft and
presents it to the entire membership. Comments and suggestions
are incorporated into the draft to create a final set which everyone
agrees to. The consequences of contravening the guidelines/ rules
should be clearly spelled out and understood by all members,
in whatever language they are most comfortable.
- Now is also the time to decide upon a fee structure (whether
or not you will charge a fee for the use of the plots, will it
be a flat fee or a sliding scale based upon ability to pay, size
of plot, number of gardeners per plot, etc.). Consult with the
Finance Committee.
- Other things to consider (see Things to consider when drawing
up Guidelines, Rights and Obligations of Membership) are policies
around organic vs. chemical fertilizers and pesticides, plot
upkeep, water use, donations of produce to a food bank or shelter,
children in the garden. Include these policies in the Rules and
Guidelines. Consult with the Site Committee, if necessary.
- Once all of the above has been decided, draw up draft ““contract”” which
all members must sign in order to become a garden member and
should be available in languages spoken by garden members. This
will include the Rights and Obligations, the garden’’s
Rules and Registration procedures, etc. It is also presented
to the entire membership and voted on before it is accepted (see
Suggested Rules and Regulations from the ACGA).
- Keep a written and photographic record of all garden events,
projects and activities with the help of the coordinator.
- Involve and encourage participation by local schools, community
centres, social agencies, etc.
- Plan and coordinate special events with the Site, Fundraising,
and Social Committees.
Possible committee members
Any garden members
Garden coordinator
Social service sector professionals and volunteers
Writers, professional and amateur
Lawyers or those with legal experience
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COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE
Responsibilities - Develop and maintain an up to date list of
all garden members, including phone numbers and mailing address.
- Develop and maintain an email mailing list, ““telephone
tree””, or other similar system for quick communication
to all members.
- Keep records of the garden’’s development, including
photographs, before, during and after. These will come in handy
when seeking donations.
- With the Steering and Membership Committees, assist in outreach
to new members and in publicizing the garden to the community.
For example, create a flyer or poster about the garden. Or create
a website where people can find out more about the garden and
your plans. Include photos and contact information.
- Assist the Fundraising Committee with preparing funding proposals
and thanking donors. There are many creative ways to do this:
create a certificate that can be put up in a local store, write
a letter to the editor of the local newspaper, give them a basket
of vegetables from the garden, write a thank you letter and include
photos of the garden, include their name on the garden’’s
sign, include them in the garden’’s newsletter; etc.
- Write, publish and distribute a newsletter that is informative
and educational to all gardeners, donors, and other interested
community organizations and leaders. Your first efforts need
not be much more than a page or two. As the garden grows in size
and activity there will be plenty to include.
- Plan and coordinate special events with the Site, Fundraising,
and Social Committees.
Possible committee members
- Writers, professional and amateur
- Anyone with desktop publishing or web mastering experience
- Garden coordinator
- Photographers, professional and amateur
- Members of the local media
- Anyone who enjoys talking on the telephone.
- Graphic artists
- Gardeners
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EDUCATION COMMITTEE
- Identify local horticultural experts, such as Master Gardeners
who would be willing to conduct workshops or answer questions
on topics of interest to the gardeners. - Schedule and advertise
workshops and talks by these experts.
- Survey the gardeners themselves to find out the level of existing
knowledge and what they would be interested in learning more
about.
- Setup a workshop series.
- Develop and maintain a resource library for the use of the
garden members.
- Form alliances with other garden organizations.
Possible membership:
- Master Gardeners
- Master Composters
- Local garden experts
- Community Food Advisors
- Gardeners - Garden coordinator
- Teachers
- Librarians
- Landscape Architects and designers
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SOCIAL COMMITTEE
The social committee can be one of the most important groups
of the garden. It is through social events that the gardeners
begin to get to know each other and a sense of community is created.
Responsibilities:
- Planning, coordinating and hosting at least two large social
get-togethers during the gardening season (i.e., Spring Welcome,
Mid summer barbecue, Autumn Harvest festival), as well as one
during the colder months to keep the sense of community alive.
Celebrate your achievements at every step of the way. There is
no reason to wait until spring to hold a garden party.
- Propose, plan and coordinate other social activities such as
trips to botanical gardens, pick-your-own farms, plant nurseries,
etc.
- To be responsible for refreshments at meetings, group work
days, etc.
- To participate in the newsletter, perhaps with a column of
upcoming events.
Possible membership
- Anyone who likes planning or hosting parties
- Cooks, amateur and professional
- Garden coordinator
- Gardeners
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2. THE ORGANIZATIONAL PLANNING STAGE
STEP 2: ACCEPTANCE AND IMPLEMENTATION
- Hold another meeting of the general membership and report on
the work of the committees and the progress made towards the
creation of the community garden.
- It is at this meeting that the draft Guidelines / Rules / Rights
and Obligations of Membership will be presented and possibly
accepted as is. The Steering & Membership Committees will
have proposed a method of voting (either by majority or consensus),
which should also be included in the Guidelines.
- If not accepted as is, the committee will meet again and incorporate
suggestions before presenting it again.
- Depending upon decisions made in committee about a garden coordinator,
a search for suitable candidates can begin.
- If garden sites have been identified, the membership can offer
their opinions on suitability.
- Assess priorities and decide upon next steps. If it is getting
close to spring, the committees should meet as often as necessary
to ensure that the garden will be ready in time for planting.
- The work of the Site Committee will become a priority until
the garden is in the ground. (Week 3 will deal exclusively with
Getting the Garden into the Ground)
3. DEVELOPING GUIDELINES, RULES AND REGULATIONS, RESPONSIBILITIES
AND OBLIGATIONS OF MEMBERSHIP
No matter what you call them, every garden needs a basic set
so that all members know what is expected of them and what they
can expect in return. Having them in place from the beginning
can head off many problems down the line.
Keep them positive and strive for ““Guidelines”” rather
than ““Rules””. For example, ““We
value our resources. Be sure to put all tools away.”” vs. ““No
leaving tools out.”” provides a reason that people
can understand and respect and will, hopefully, comply with.
The Membership Committee will draw up a draft and then present
this to the general membership for comments, changes and approval
. Comments and suggestions are incorporated into the draft to
create a final set which everyone must agree to. The consequences
of contravening the guidelines/ rules should be clearly spelled
out and understood by all members, in whatever language they
are most comfortable. This now forms the basis of the contract
among gardeners (and sponsoring agency, landowner, etc.) and
is signed by each person when registering for membership. (See
a sample of suggested rules by the American Community Gardening
Association, below)
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THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN DRAWING UP GUIDELINES, RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS
OF MEMBERSHIP:
- What are the eligibility requirements for membership in the
garden?
- What rules will be needed?
- How will the rules be adopted?
- How will the rules be enforced?- If a gardener ignores these
and other rules, what is the procedure for dealing with this?
- Will there be a fee for the plots? How much and what services,
if any, will be provided to gardeners in return?
- When are fees/dues collected?
- Will the gardeners meet regularly? If so, where how often,
at what time and for what purposes?
- Will the garden be run communally or will each gardener have
his or her own plot?
- If communally, how will the harvest be shared or will it go
to a food bank or other organization?
- How will plots be assigned: by family size, by residency, by
need, by group, lottery or first come, first served?
- When someone leaves a plot, how will the next tenant be chosen?
- Will there be a waiting list? Who keeps it?
- If there is a fence, will the garden be kept locked at all
times? Who may have a key?
- How will the group deal with vandalism?
- Will the group do certain things cooperatively (such as turning
in soil in the spring, planting cover crops, or composting) or
is it up to the individual?
- How will maintenance be handled both in common areas (such
as along fences, in flower beds, and in sitting areas)?
- Is there a group work responsibility? If members do not contribute,
what will be the consequences?
- What will be the generally accepted level of maintenance that
gardeners must adhere to (weeds, messiness, etc.). How will this
be enforced? - Will the garden be organic (no chemical pesticides
or fertilizers)? How will this be enforced.
- Will gardeners share tools, hoses, and other such items? How
will they be provided and maintained?
- Is watering to be the responsibility of each gardener or will
that duty be shared. How will it be shared?
- Will there be any plants that should not be grown (e.g. corn
gets too tall, squash takes up too much space, etc.)?
- How big should a garden plot be? (this will depend entirely
upon the size of the overall garden site and the experience level
of the gardeners For example, 4ft x 8ft. (1.2 x 2.4M) might be
a good size for a senior or first time gardener but would be
too small for a family or experienced, enthusiastic gardener.)
- Do all plots have to be the same size? Or, should new gardeners
begin with smaller plots? Working with a basic module may be
the easiest way--experienced gardeners can have 2 modules.
- Is there any restriction to the hours that the garden is open?
- How will extra money be raised?
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Sample Rules and Regulations from the American Community Gardening
Association
The following guidelines are just suggestions. You should adapt
them to your particular situation and needs. The best rules are
those that the gardeners participate in drawing up. Make sure
that the rules that you adopt are enforceable and fair. Every
gardener should be given a copy in a language in which they are
comfortable and they should also be posted in a prominent place.
There are several more examples of guidelines at http://www.cityfarmer.org/gardenrules.html#rules
- I will pay a fee of $ to help cover garden expenses. I understand
that of this will be refunded to me when I clean up my plot at
the end of the season.
- I will have something planted in the garden by (date) and keep
it planted all summer long.
- If I must abandon my plot for any reason, I will notify the
manager.
- I will keep weeds down and maintain the areas immediately surrounding
my plot if any.
- If my plot becomes unkempt, I understand I will be given 1
week's notice to clean it up. At that time, it will be re-assigned
or tilled in.
- I will keep trash and litter cleaned from the plot, as well
as from adjacent pathways and fences.
- I will participate in the fall cleanup of the garden. I understand
that the $ deposit will be refunded only to those who do participate.
- I will plant tall crops where they will not shade neighboring
plots.
- I will pick only my own crops unless given permission by the
plot user.
- I will not use fertilizers, insecticides or weed repellents
that will in any way affect other plots.
- I agree to volunteer hours toward community gardening efforts.(include
a list of volunteer tasks which your garden needs).
- I will not bring pets to the garden.
- I understand that neither the garden group nor owners of the
land are responsible for my actions. I THEREFORE AGREE TO HOLD
HARMLESS THE GARDEN GROUP AND OWNERS OF THE LAND FOR ANY LIABILITY,
DAMAGE, LOSS OR CLAIM THAT OCCURS IN CONNECTION WITH USE OF THE
GARDEN BY ME OR ANY OF MY GUESTS.
Date________________________
Signature of garden member:
Signature of the Coordinator:
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4. COMMUNITY RELATIONS
Any new use of land in an established community will stimulate
curiosity and positive and negative reactions. As the new kid
on the block, it’’s important to inform the neighbours
about what you are doing and why. And it’’s equally
important to invite them to participate in the garden, even if
you know or think you know that they are not interested. Make
sure to include an invitation and method to join on the garden’’s
sign.
Neighbours can also be a wonderful resource to the garden. If
they are willing, ask them to keep an eye out for trouble, as
you will offer to do for them. It is well documented that community
gardens increase public safety by having more ““eyes
on the street””, often at irregular hours, such as
early morning and evening. Ask about local soils and growing
conditions, wildlife, pedestrian shortcuts, historic uses of
your site. Don’’t forget to invite everyone in the
neighbourhood to the garden’’s parties, even if they
aren’’t members--maybe they will join. And sharing
a bit of the harvest is a neighbourly thing to do.
If the neighbours seem reluctant to endorse the idea of a community
garden, or express the opinion that the garden is sure to become
an eyesore, show them photos of other successful community gardens
and, of course, make certain that the garden is always well maintained.
It’’s also a good idea to include some flowers in
your garden, especially in high visibility areas.
With foresight and planning, the garden can become a source of
neighbourhood pride, rather than a point of contention. Tend
your neighbourhood as well as your garden.
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5. VANDALISM
Vandalism is an affliction of just about every community garden
at one time or another. There is no one handy answer on how to
prevent it, but most community garden groups are able to control
it after a while. Most vandalism occurs because of boredom, jealousy,
and ignorance.
The immediate reaction of just about every fledgling community
garden group, when confronted by that first raw evidence of vandalism,
is to put up a fence. While this can sometimes be effective,
it can also incite even more destruction. Even if you put up
an enormous fence, topped by razor wire, there will be some incredibly
persistent individual who sees it as his life’’s
mission to get over (or under, or through) that fence. Besides,
who would want to garden inside that sort of prison?
A situation in which a fence makes sense is where the garden
is likely to be a target of dogs or balls. In these cases, a
four foot high fence is plenty. What’’s more, with
this type of fence you can take the opportunity to create a garden
feature. Encourage a friendly competition among gardeners, neighbours,
children, friends, to design individual wooden pickets for the
fence. Fences can also be used to grow flowering vines, such
as morning glories, or as supports for grapes, beans, cucumbers
or other space-greedy climbers. Or come up with some other creative
approach to fence building. It doesn’’t need to be
expensive, as professionally installed anti-vandal fences usually
are.
The most successful anti-vandal strategy seems to be to invite
the vandals to participate in the garden. You may be scoffed
at, both by the vandals and by your fellow gardeners, but there
are numerous examples of the success of this tactic from all
over North America. The vandals, usually bored kids, often turn
out to be the most active gardeners, as well as an excellent
deterrent to other vandals. Get past anger and feeling victimized;
don’’t grow animosity; grow gardeners! Like with
conflict, youthful indiscretion is an opportunity to learn and
teach.
If this strategy isn’’t possible, the next most successful
approach is to keep repairing the damage that they do. Hopefully,
they’’ll eventually get bored and move on. It can
be quite heartbreaking to be confronted with the terrible evidence
of their work, especially after your group has put its heart
and soul into the gardens, but the best way to keep your spirits
up is to quickly replace and repair, just as you would if the
damage occurred because of a hail storm or other naturally occurring
garden destroyer.
And finally, some vandalism isn’’t purposely malicious,
but happens because there are, unfortunately, too many homeless
people who, in addition to being without shelter, do not have
access to affordable, nutritious food. Community gardens located
in areas of this kind of desperation can expect this kind of ““vandalism””.
It is far better to plant an extra plot or two and invite them
to help themselves. Better still, invite them to join the garden.
It is, after all, a community garden.
HERE ARE A FEW COMMON SENSE PRECAUTIONS TO FOLLOW:
-Locate the garden in a highly visible area. Ask neighbours of
the garden to keep their eye on it and reward them (from the
garden) for their efforts.
-Know who belongs to the garden and who doesn’’t.
Exchange names and phone numbers. Pass out membership cards or
buttons, or come up with some other method of easily and discreetly
identifying gardeners.
-If the garden has a locked gate or storage bin, keep careful
record of the keys. If you use a combination lock, remind the
gardeners to keep the combination to themselves.
-Keep the garden well maintained to show that you care about
the space
-Repair damage immediately to send a strong message that the
gardeners are in control of the garden, not the vandals.
-Display a sign saying who the gardens are for and how to participate.
-Harvest produce daily during peak season. If some gardeners
will be away during harvest time, arrange to have someone else
harvest the plots. The less temptation, the better.
-If your garden seems to be beset by a nightly ““harvester””,
a discreet stakeout by two or more gardeners may be necessary
to identify the culprit. But be careful! Don’’t try
to confront him or her on the spot. That is better left to daytime
hours, and by the coordinator and another person in authority
-Plant more than you need and set aside a plot, near the entrance,
for people who truly need the food and are not malicious vandals.
Add a sign saying ““If you need vegetables, please
join our community garden. If you need food today, then please
pick from this plot only.””
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6. TROUBLESHOOTING
At this stage of the startup process most problems occur because
of trying to move too fast, not taking the time to find enough
members, and most importantly, not sharing the responsibilities
among members. No matter how well this principle is understood,
there is always the temptation to do it yourself, if not everything
then most things. It may be easier at the time but in the long
run it will create problems and will be more difficult to recruit
others into positions of responsibility. Time taken at the start
to ensure that there is a sharing of the load will be time well
spent.
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