Starting a Community Garden
Written by Lia Spaniolo, Extension Educator in Hennepin County for Urban Agriculture and Small Farms
Starting or revitalizing a community garden of any scale can be a big undertaking. Consider each question below to help you start a garden that best matches the needs and capacity of the community. You and your team will be more prepared to deal with challenges and issues that arise throughout the growing season and better positioned to create a thriving community garden.
Community engagement
- Who is the community who will benefit from this garden?
- What are the community’s main motivations and values for starting a community garden?
- Who are the people investing the most (time, resources, champions) to start the garden? If more than one person, how will you communicate with this team and how often?
- How will decisions be made and who is involved in making them?
- What is the capacity of the community to steward a successful garden project (time, money, supplies, skills)?
- Is there funding to support the project? Will you be fundraising or seeking donations?
- Will you host volunteer work days to help with annual tasks and maintenance? Who will organize workdays? What will be your main methods of communicating with volunteers and the wider community?
Land & garden infrastructure
- Has a plot of land been identified for the community garden? Who owns the land? Is a rental/use agreement needed? How will the landowner be involved in decision-making?
- What infrastructure is included on the land or in the use agreement (e.g. water, irrigation, storage, benches, tables, tools, etc.)? Are there existing planting beds or will they need to be built? If existing, do they need repair/improvement?
- Is there access to water on or near the site? Will you have to pay for water usage? Will you need to acquire hoses and irrigation equipment or is it already available?
- How much sunlight or shade does the site have? This will determine what type of plants you can grow successfully.
Soil & fertility
- Has the soil been tested at the site and how long ago? If more than 5 years ago or unknown, get a soil test to determine texture, pH, nutrients and recommended amendments.
- If the site is located near older buildings, railroad tracks, boulevards along busy roadways or formerly an industrial site, the soil should also be tested for lead and potentially other contaminants. If soil is found to have elevated lead or other contamination, how will this be addressed?
- Based on soil test results, what are the fertilizer needs for growing a garden?
- Where will you source fertilizers, compost or other soil amendments and in what quantities?
Plants & Care
- Which plants does the community want to grow? Do the plants’ needs match the sunlight, moisture and soil characteristics of the identified site?
- How will you determine planting locations and overall crop plan? Will there be one main garden or will individuals maintain their own garden plots?
- Who will be the recipients of the produce? Will produce recipients be involved in selecting the crops they will receive?
- How will you acquire plants? Will you start them from seed, buy transplants from a nursery, or ask for donations?
- What tools and supplies will you need to grow plants in the garden? Where will you source them? Where will you store tools?
- Who will be in charge of the garden tasks? Consider: spring prep, planting, watering, weeding, lawn mowing, harvesting, deliveries, fall clean-up.
- Will you keep records of what is grown and harvested in the garden? What methods will you use for recordkeeping?
Putting it all together
After considering your existing assets and what you need to acquire, put together a budget and supply list that will help you source items from your surrounding community. Neighbors and local businesses may be more willing to donate items or funds to make the project happen when they know exactly what is needed.
Create a binder for the community garden (physical or digital) where you can store and easily access information such as: shared agreements, contact information, internet account passwords, budgets, soil test reports, crop plans, harvest logs and garden maps. This shared resource centralizes important information and can help the garden be successful in the long-term. Additionally, written documentation for your community garden can be critical when seeking land-use approval from landowners, apartment managers, HOA boards and when writing grants for additional funding.
Garden Resources
Vegetable gardening in Minnesota, University of Minnesota Extension
Preparing the soil, seeding, transplanting and growing guides for garden vegetables.
Raised bed gardens, University of Minnesota Extension
Types of raised beds and how to determine the right size, materials and soil.
Succession planting charts for vegetables, Johnny’s Selected Seeds
Growing guides for staggered plantings of vegetables for continuous harvest.
Crop plan & harvest log templates
Templates for keeping records of crop variety, planting and harvest dates, amounts, etc.
Growing apples in the home garden, University of Minnesota Extension
Apple varieties, planting, watering, weeding, fertilizing, staking, thinning fruit and harvesting.
Growing stone fruits in the home garden, University of Minnesota Extension
Plums, cherries, apricots and peaches with guidelines on varieties, planting, pruning and pest management.
University of Minnesota Soil Testing Laboratory
Test soil samples for soil nutrients, texture, pH and organic matter, lead contamination and more.