Community Gardens

May, 2017

What is a community garden?

“A community garden is any piece of land gardened by a group of people, utilizing either individual or shared plots on private or public land” – Marin Master Gardeners. The gardens contribute to a sense of community and connection to the environment and an opportunity for satisfying labour and neighbourhood improvement, as well as creating opportunities for recreation, exercise, therapy and education. They’re an Marathon used under Creative immensely valuable resource to Commons Attribution-Share License neighbourhoods and can transform contested or underused space. 10 Steps to Starting a Community Garden,

adapted from American Community Gardens

Association’s guidelines

1. Organize a meeting of interested people Different types of community gardens a. Determine if there’s a

need/desire for a garden • School gardens b. What type of garden? – food • Derelict/disused land production, community building, • Gardens on housing land environmental restoration, • Orchards recreation... • Bee keeping gardens c. Whom will it involve and who • Container gardens benefits • Private land i. Young, old, families, those • Communal gardens who wat to improve local • Therapy gardens environment?

• Vocational gardens d. Research local community

• Allotment gardens gardens – could be more

• City flats beneficial to join forces instead

• Farms and estates • Conservation areas

2. Form a planning committee a. Group comprised of people who feel committed to the creation of the garden b. Form committees for specific tasks: funding + partnership, youth activities, construction + communication, how to keep garden self-sustaining (income) 3. Identify all your resources a. Community asset assessment i. What skills + resources exist in the community that can aid the garden Greychr used under Creative Commons Attribution-Share License ii. Look for people with experience b. Who are the potential supporters of the garden – neighbours, local 7. Organise the garden community groups, schools… a. How many plots + how they’ll be 4. Approach a sponsor assigned a. Essential for donations of tools, b. Areas needed in garden: growing seeds or money space, seating areas, pathways b. Possible sponsors: churches, between plots, secure storage for schools, private businesses… tools, compost bin, wet weather 5. Choose a site space a. Unexpected opportunities for 8. Plan for children growing spaces: disused land, a. Consider special garden for kids gardens on school land, b. Allows them to explore the woodlands, unused land owned garden at their own speed by councils or social house 9. Determine rules and put them in writing providers a. Ground rules help gardeners to b. Consider amount of sunshine, know what is expected of them availability of water, soil testing and help deal with issues for pollutants, who owns the 10. Help members keep in touch with each land, electricity, access, length of other lease a. Good communication ensures 6. Prepare + develop the site strong community garden with a. Most cases land will need active participation preparation before planting b. E.g. Form telephone tree, create b. Organise volunteer work crews to email list, install rainproof clean, gather materials + decide bulletin board in garden, have on design and plot arrangement regular celebrations

Case study Petworth Community Garden is a permaculture garden, and is now being registered as a LAND (Learning and Demonstration Network) project with the Permaculture Association.

Earth Care — Garden organically, look after the soil, garden in raised beds, compost, mulch, grow green manure and harvest water — Encourage wildlife into the garden, plant Social Traders used under Creative companion and wildlife friendly plants to Commons Attribution-Share License create habitat in the form of ponds, wildflower areas, solitary bee and insect Benefits of Community Gardens homes, and work with natural biological • Brings cultures and generations together, controls to help with the balance in the improving individual and community garden — confidence Teach their members what they are doing • Intensive contact with nature is a and why, and encourage them to use considerable antidote against the stress of good practices in their own homes and high-pressure jobs or unemployment gardens. — Locals without gardens come and use our • Creates a social gathering place for the compost bins and bring their recycling for community and encourage the sharing of Petworth’s activities intergenerational knowledge Fair share • Can be used as a “therapeutic space” — Use local, recycled or ethical resources where children reconnect with nature and wherever possible, not taking more than learn things such as self-control and their fair share of the Earth’s resources personal health — Always share out the harvest at the end • Brings education into the urban/suburban as a thank you to the volunteers + as a setting regarding food production way of getting free fresh organic food to • People learning how to grow food the people who are most in need organic way may feel encouraged to eat People Care more fruit and vegetables – effective for — Started the project in 2005 as an kids as well inspiration by Garden Organics ‘Organic • Provides direct source of fresh, healthy, Food for All’ scheme, which aimed to chemical free, low-cost food enable local people with limited means to • Organic waste can be composted at home free fresh food and returned to garden – less work for — Petworth work in a mixed community rubbish collectors and better for the group, with parents and children, older environment people, people with learning difficulties, • Become less dependent on non- and people with physical, mental health renewable resources, such as oil which is or social issues (Integrate rather than used to fuel tractors, produce fertilizers segregate) and transport + store food — Petworth really see’s the benefit of • Community gardens provide an area to working in a mixed community group grow greenery for people who lack the where all are accepted and all abilities space at home or don’t have enough celebrated sunlight to grow food

“Welcome To Petworth Community Gardens Community Garden Best Practices Toolkit. Food New Website, ‘Growing For All.’”. Petworth Security Network of Newfoundland and Community Garden. 2017 Labrador, 2011.

“Organic and Permaculture Gardening”. Holland, Leigh. “Diversity and Connections in Petworth Community Garden. 2017. Community Gardens: A Contribution to Local Sustainability”. Local Environment 9.3 (2004) “10 Steps To Starting A Community Garden”. 285-305. American Community Garden Association. 2017 Share Community Garden At Springfield “Resources: Community Garden Management”. Hospital. South West London TV, 2016. American Community Garden Association. 2017 Kanetaka, Shotaro. “Permaculture And MacNair, Emily. The Garden City Handbook. Community Gardens”. Altona Community Canada: POLIS Project on Ecological Gardens Inc. 2016 Governance, 2002. “Resources”. HogCo – Home Grown Community “How To Set Up A Community Garden”. KNOW Owned. 2014 HOW NON PROFIT. Home Grown – Community Owned Information “Gardening Guides: Community Gardening Sheet: Permaculture. Devon: Community Projects”. BBC. 2014 Council Of Devon, 2014.

Lewisham’s Guide To Creating A Community Bloom, Jessi, and Dave Boehnlein. Practical Garden. Lewisham: Lewisham Council. Permaculture: For Home Landscapes, Your Community, And The Whole Earth. London: Growing4Life: A Thrive Community Gardening Timber Press, 2015. Project. Reading: Thrive, 2012. Juneau Community Gardens. UAFExtension, Community Gardens: Why Start One?. 2010. Video. KSREVideos, 2012. Video. Federation OF City Farms & Community Gardens. 2015. Video.

Created by: Rhiannon Leach