Growing Your Group

Garden Guidelines

Guidelines Inspire
Guidelines are goals with behaviors associated to them. They are more than a list of “Do’s and Don’ts” or “No this, No that.”

Begin with a brief mission statement that unites the group and the garden to a larger purpose. Example: “Our mission is to strengthen our neighborhood by maintaining a sitting garden where people can get to know each other.” Vision + Action = Mission

Identify the garden’s needs and name the responsibilities people will have to take on to meet the needs and support the mission. Know the group’s abilities and limitations before setting goals.

Start with a few guidelines that will help the group get going. Write them out and provide each person a copy. Schedule to review the guidelines, growing them along with the group.

Rules versus Guidelines
“No leaving tools out;” vs. “We value our resources. Be sure to put all tools away.” Keep them positive.

Set a few small goals for the garden per 3-month phases and the year. Review them, adjust them, and set a few new ones. A goal not met simply is an opportunity to learn. There is no failure when real learning occurs.

Communication

Listening
The most important skill is listening; hearing another person from their perspective. "Seek first to understand, then to be understood.” Win-win vs. lose-lose.

Give everyone a chance to voice his or her opinion, and be sure everyone feels heard.

Expect differences
From the beginning, set up how the group will resolve differences and conflicts. CONFLICT IS AN OPPORTUNITY to create strength in the group by embracing it and navigating to resolution. Never give up, even in times when the group is struggling. Welcome the growing pains.

Celebrate! With frequent small celebrations and occasional big ones. Afternoon juice and cookies, pot lucks, BBQs, musicians, plays, poetry readings, bake sale.

Sharing the joy of successes along the way is group communication to each other: stating pride, joy, appreciation of each other, community.

Share Leadership

Everyone has some leader qualities in them, so find ways that they can be expressed. Share leadership via roles, responsibilities, committees, etc. Support each other in filling the roles. A common mistake is that one person assumes the role, the group lets them, and some form of dictatorship occurs, or a good-hearted person burns out from taking on too much.

Inventory the group’s skills and resources, person by person. Match a person’s skills to the roles and how that fits into the mission. This keeps people personally invested in the project.

Reaching Out

An Open Invitation
A group that doesn’t seek new participants will gradually shrink and cease to exist. Invite people into the garden simply to experience it from the inside. Just being in it without feeling pressure to work can inspire people to gradually participate, or at least be an advocate for the garden and your efforts. Announce events such as: celebrations, garden work days, meetings, fund raisers, barbecues, etc.

Always reach out to people to participate
Ask in an inviting way, honoring a “no,” without accepting it as a permanent answer. Some people need to be asked a few times. Stop when it’s clear they are absolutely not interested, perhaps with an open-ended invitation to come by should they want to.

Invite everyone
Invite people in-person when possible, and provide a written invitation as well (card, flyer). Include area residents, store owners, local organizations (faith congregations, hospitals, social services) etc. local officials to. Your garden and other community efforts will be more successful if the neighborhood feels welcome and included.

Youth

Youth Is the Future in the Present
Many elder gardeners are now isolated for rejecting youth over the years as irresponsible and disrespectful. If not from adults, from whom are youth supposed to learn responsibility and respect?

Reach out to youth again and again
Be patient and encouraging with them as they learn. Allow mistakes. Let their interest grow gradually. Be realistic with what you ask them to do.

They Just Want To Belong
Very often, youth who have vandalized gardens, but were invited in to learn rather than punished, often become eager participants and protectors of the gardens. Get past anger and feeling victimized; don’t grow animosity; grow gardeners! Like with conflict, youthful indiscretion is an opportunity to learn and teach.

Adapted from Growing Your Group: by Philadelphia Green