2. Benefits of Community Gardens:
• Improves the quality of life for people in
the garden
• Provides a catalyst for neighborhood and
community development
• Stimulates Social Interaction
• Encourages Self-Reliance
• Beautifies Neighborhoods
• Produces Nutritious Food
3. Benefits of Community Gardens:
• Reduces Family Food Budgets
• Conserves Resources
• Creates opportunity for recreation,
exercise, therapy, and education
• Creates income opportunities and
economic development
4. Tips on Establishing a Community
Garden
• Decide on a name for the garden
• Ask the garden participants to suggest a
name for the garden and have them vote
to make the final selection. This helps to
develop a sense of ownership.
5. Garden plan
• Decide if everyone will farm the entire
area together and share the produce, or if
each person will be assigned individual
plots. Raised beds of 4 x 16 feet works
well as individual plots. Depending on the
size of the family or group working
together assign one or more plots. Decide
on location of storage shed and compost
area. Flowers on the perimeter of the
garden will make it very attractive.
6. Develop a budget
• Seek funding in monetary or in-kind
contributions for land preparation, storage
shed, garden tools, seeds, fertilizer,
compost bins, and so on.
7. Garden rules
• Work with participants to develop list of
rules for the garden. Keep them simple.
Each adult or parent of minors
participating in the garden should sign the
rules. Keep a copy on file and give them a
copy.
8. Garden calendar
• Develop a yearly calendar of the planting
dates for different crops and garden
events and for them to keep a journal. The
calendar can also include a list of garden
participants and their phone numbers.
9. Garden duty assignments
• Divide garden participants into groups and
assign chores for common areas, for
example, pulling weeds in flower beds and
turning compost piles.
10. Celebrate successes
• Organize a garden open house. Provide
education stations for the public to learn
about garden membership, crops, insects,
or foods prepared. Invite the media to
come and tour the garden at the open
house.
