Community garden
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Transcript of Community garden
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?
❑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