Community Gardens

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Community Gardens ARIZONA SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITY GARDEN Resource Guide Your Guide to Establishing and Sustaining a Community Garden in Your Neighborhood 1.0 INTRODUCTION Between 2010 and 2014, a series of participatory community workshops were held in several Phoenix neighborhoods. Facilitated by graduate students from Arizona State University (ASU) and the Elemental Group, LLC and supported by Vitalyst Health Foundation (formerly St Luke’s Health Initiatives), these workshops brought residents and community leaders together to discuss what was working within their communities and what needed improvement. The participating communities were Maryvale through the Maryvale on the Move project; South Phoenix through the South Phoenix: Grounded and Growing and CUSP initiatives; and the Gateway, Eastlake/Garfield, Midtown, Uptown and Solano neighborhoods from the Reinvent Phoenix project. At each workshop it quickly became clear that there is an abundance of social and human capital within each neighborhood and that as a result, many good things are happening: People are starting and supporting community gardens; people are creating opportunities for youth to learn job skills; and people are creating educational and economic venues for community members to realize their potential. At each workshop, residents also outlined aspects of their communities that required action. Significantly, even though each of the communities is distinct with its own character, many of the identified areas of need are similar. Nearly all residents cited the need for better access to healthy foods, safe and accessible outdoor areas for recreation and public transportation, as well as greater opportunities to showcase their talents and increase household income. Many residents and community leaders expressed eagerness to work to bring these improvements to their neighborhoods. Responding to the desire of communities to improve access to healthy food, exercise control over the availability and choice of healthy food, and increase neighborhood cohesion and resiliency, Vitalyst Health Foundation published the Community Garden Tool Kit in 2015. The prevalence of these feelings in communities throughout Arizona is also the reason that the Arizona Department of Health Services decided to update and expand on the information that document contained to create this Arizona Sustainable Community Garden Resource Guide to help aspiring community gardeners across the state. MARICOPA COUNTY EXTENSION GARDEN, PHOTO BY EILEEN KANE (FLICKR: CC) CONTENTS 1.0 INTRODUCTION .................................2 APPENDIX B .......................................33 2.0 WHAT IS A COMMUNITY GARDEN? ..............4 MODEL GARDENER’S AGREEMENT ......................34 MODEL COMMUNITY GARDEN RULES ...................38 3.0 BENEFITS OF COMMUNITY GARDENS. .5 SAMPLE COMMUNITY GARDEN BUDGET .................46 4.0 TYPES OF COMMUNITY GARDENS ...............6 REMEMBER THE DETAILS ................................47 5.0 STARTING A COMMUNITY GARDEN ..............9 APPENDIX C .......................................49 STEP ONE: FORM A PLANNING COMMITTEE ............... 9 FACT SHEET: WATER USE IN COMMUNITY GARDENS – STEP TWO: DETERMINE WHAT TYPE OF GARDEN ARIZONA DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES ........50 TO CREATE AND IDENTIFY MISSION AND GOALS .......... 9 LOCATION/ELEVATION SPECIFIC PLANTING GUIDES – STEP THREE: GENERATE COMMUNITY SUPPORT .........10 LOWER ELEVATIONS .................................52-61 STEP FOUR: ESTABLISH A FORMAL ORGANIZATION. 10 VEGETABLE PLANTING CALENDAR FOR MARICOPA COUNTY – UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA STEP FIVE: CHOOSE A SITE ................................11 COOPERATIVE EXTENSION ..........................52 STEP SIX, PART A: DETERMINE OWNERSHIP DECIDUOUS FRUIT TREES FOR UP TO AND NEGOTIATE LEASE TERMS ..........................12 3,500’ ELEVATIONS – UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA COOPERATIVE EXTENSION .........................55 STEP SIX, PART B: ASSESS THE HISTORY AND CONDITION OF THE SITE .............................13 PLANTING AND HARVESTING IN THE LOW DESERT – NATIVE SEEDS/SEARCH ............60 STEP SEVEN: DESIGN THE GARDEN ......................14 LOCATION/ELEVATION SPECIFIC PLANTING GUIDES - 6.0 SUSTAINING THE GARDEN. 20 HIGHER ELEVATIONS .................................62-68 STEP EIGHT: CHOOSE A GOVERNING STRUCTURE .......20 YAVAPAI COUNTY VEGETABLE PLANTING DATES – UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA STEP NINE: OBTAIN FUNDING ...........................22 COOPERATIVE EXTENSION ..........................62 STEP TEN: CREATE A BUDGET AND MANAGE MONEY. .22 GROWING TOMATOES ABOVE 6,000’ STEP ELEVEN: MANAGE THE GARDEN ELEVATIONS – UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA AND ADDRESS CHALLENGES ............................23 COOPERATIVE EXTENSION ...........................64 FEBRUARY GARDENING TIPS FROM STEP TWELVE: FOSTER THE COMMUNITY ...............25 NAVAJO COUNTY – UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA APPENDIX A .......................................26 COOPERATIVE EXTENSION ...........................67 SAMPLE FLYER FOR OUTREACH ........................27 STATEWIDE PLANTING GUIDE ........................69-78 MODEL LEASE AGREEMENT .............................28 TEN STEPS TO A SUCCESSFUL VEGETABLE GARDEN – UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA SAMPLE LETTER TO PROPERTY OWNER ................32 COOPERATIVE EXTENSION .......................... 69 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS AND THANKS: VITALYST HEALTH FOUNDATION, ARIZONA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH SERVICES, MARINA ACOSTA OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA EXTENSION – PHOENIX, C.J. HAGER OF VITALYST HEALTH FOUNDATION, DAVE LANEY OF ATC GROUP SERVICES, LLC, KATIE POIRIER OF THE MOLLEN FOUNDATION, CHANGELAB SOLUTIONS ©2017 BY ARIZONA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH SERVICES, 150 N 18TH AVE, SUITE 140, PHOENIX AZ 85007. 602-542-1025. AZDHS.GOV. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. ARIZONA SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITY GARDEN RESOURCE GUIDE 3 2.0 WHAT IS A COMMUNITY GARDEN? “Community gardens come in a variety of forms but at their core are defined as any piece of land, either publicly or privately owned, where plants are grown and maintained by a group of people in the community.” (www.publichealthlawcenter.org) However, in practice they are much more. Community gardens are sources of fresh produce, places for physical exercise, community gathering sites and educational places. As Denver Urban Gardens notes, “a community garden is a unique and inclusive community space; it reflects the personality and tells the story of the gardeners and the neighborhood that surrounds it.” (www.dug.org) MESA URBAN GARDEN (MUG), PHOTO BY DAVID CRUMMEY (FLICKR: CC). 4 ARIZONA SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITY GARDEN RESOURCE GUIDE 3.0 BENEFITS OF COMMUNITY GARDENS According to Designing Healthy Communities, community gardens “play a significant role in enhancing the physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being necessary to build healthy and socially sustainable communities.”* As people come together to create and maintain a garden, they socialize with neighbors, family, seniors, and children; develop cross-cultural connections; and grow healthy food for themselves and to share with the broader community. All of these things work together to increase community ownership and build social capital, creating relationships and networks that help sustain and grow a thriving community. The benefits of community gardens extend beyond creating and strengthening community connections. They include: improved overall health of participants attributable to reduced stress levels; healthier eating and increased physical activity; lower family food budgets due to access to inexpensive fresh fruits and vegetables; possibility for employment, economic development and neighborhood revitalization; opportunities to learn about horticulture and positive environmental practices such as composting and recycling; and the preservation and beautification of neighborhood green space. Some research suggests that community gardens reduce crime and increase surrounding property values.** * The Role of Community Gardens in Sustaining Healthy Communities, Designing Healthy Communities, http://designinghealthycommunities.org/role-community- gardens-sustaining-healthy-communities/ ** Garvin, E., Cannuscio, C. and Branas, C. (2013). Greening vacant lots to reduce violent crime: a randomized controlled trial. Injury Prevention, 19(3): 198-203.; Voicu, I. and Been, V. (2008). The Effect of Community Gardens on Neighboring Property Values. Real Estate Economics, 36(2): 241-283.). THE BENEFITS OF COMMUNITY GARDENS EXTEND BEYOND CREATING AND STRENGTHENING COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS. PHOTO BY BOB NICHOLS, USDA NRCS ARIZONA SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITY GARDEN RESOURCE GUIDE 5 4.0 TYPES OF COMMUNITY GARDENS Community gardens range from traditional neighborhood gardens that feature subdivided plots tended by individuals or families to gardens associated with a place of worship or community center to gardens with a specific purpose such as job training or stocking a food pantry. The following list provides a snapshot of the variety of community gardens currently operating locally. Traditional Neighborhood Food Donation Community Gardens Community Gardens Gardeners donate all or some of the produce from their Separate garden plots that are rented to families or garden to food banks. individuals to grow food. Gardeners work together to Local examples: organize gatherings, community work days and daily operations. Typically there are ten or more garden plots in • Payson Community Garden, Payson, AZ this type of garden. www.paysoncommunitygardenaz.com Local examples: • Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona – Garden Program, Tucson, AZ • Garden Patch
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