Hey Kat! I want to start a community garden up here in Page, AZ and I know pretty much nothing about gardening. I'm hoping to learn through the process, and through finding others who know a bit more to help me get started. I saw that your post is dated from a few years ago...how did it all work out? Do you have any advice for me in getting this project off the ground? Thanks so much, Kat

David, I had going a very long post of recommendation when the electricity went blip and I lost it all...damn. Well, here goes again...start with a "business plan" outlining all the important parts of the project and a timeline for completing steps to completion. Some questions for you to consider: Who is doing the work? The site has to be cleared of trash, the soil tested for heavy metals and toxins, and the garden units laid out and generally prepped with available potable water for garden plots and gardeners. Who are your gardeners? Have you polled the neighbors, local religious and ethnic centers? Will you be charging them for their plots? What are their responsibilities to the garden and to each other? How will you get liability insurance (Your property owner probably won't let you run a community garden without insurance unless you can get the city park's department or public works to sponsor the project). An association with a local agency might give you more for the invested buck. What are your security needs for the garden and the gardeners? Fencing is a minimum. Have you got sponsors to help pay for preparation, layout, tools and other expenses? The garden ought to have sets of simple tools and a safe storage place. Try to interest local houses of worship, ethnic clubs, ethnic grocers, local botanical and garden clubs (check with Brooklyn Botanical Garden and New York Botanic Garden -- the first publishes little gardening books including one I think on community gardens. There are already a large number of community gardens in the NY Metropolitan area for you to visit and talk about your vision. Good luck, hope this helps, Marshall

Hi, J'Lynn, I would encourage you to start up a community garden in your town if you have people who are saying they will use it. Ours is still in its infancy; we are just now building our raised beds and I planted the first winter vegetables there on January 31. But neighbors are signing up and showing great interest, and even people who don't want to join it seem to really like the idea of having it in the neighborhood. We are going to charge a small annual fee, $25, and as you suggested that will be to pay for water. We were able to get a grant that will pay for some of our materials and supplies; and we'll have fundraisers to pay for others. Some things we members are donating, and as time goes by we'll probably incorporate as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit so that it will be easier to get monetary donations from local businesses and individuals. Some grants require that, too. Finding a place to have a garden seems to always be the hardest thing for people who want to have one - so it sounds like you're already a step ahead. I think the only word of caution I'd give is to go easy on rules until you've established your members, then let them participate in setting the rules and enforcing them. Our garden grew out of dissatisfaction with another garden some of us belonged to, where the garden manager was constantly changing the rules and not letting members have any input. Some of the rules were crazy, in our opinions. One other thing we really hated was mandatory garden meetings - we joined to garden, not to attend more meetings. We all have enough meetings already in our lives. Obviously it will be necessary from time to time to get together to make plans, but we're really holding back on that in our new garden. When we have them, we want our get-togethers to be fun events that people look forward to.

IÂm interested in starting a community garden and IÂm seeking expressions of interest from other like-minded people. Ideally IÂd like to locate the garden in the Annerley, Dutton Park or Fairfield area. I have a number of sites in mind and will be approaching council shortly for assistance in getting access to a suitable site. I am in the early planning stages and would love to hear from anyone interested in this. Lucy