College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences
5 steps to growing a community garden
- Host a meeting to determine if your neighbors want or need a garden.
- Build a leadership team of 5-10 committed people.
- Make sure the garden is easily accessible and centrally located.
- Perform a site analysis to determine if there is access to water, enough sun and good soil.
- Obtain written permission from the landowner to start the garden.
- Develop a vision statement to guide your gardeners. Something simple is fine, such as: “To provide nutritious foods and healthy activities for our community.”
- Agree on rules and regulations for the garden.
- Share leadership responsibilities, it is not a one-person operation.
- Create a garden design appropriate for the location and community.
- Include the opinions of your community gardeners in your garden design process.
- Celebrate! Host community gatherings throughout the year, such as community workdays, potlucks and harvest festivals, and live music.
- Develop a financial plan.
