How
to Keep Them Coming Back
- Week 5 Readings
1. DEALING WITH GARDENER DROPOUT
2. MONTHLY TASKS FOR THE COMMUNITY GARDEN
3. CELEBRATE
4. COPING WITH VANDALISM
5. COMMUNITY RELATIONS
6. FINAL ASSIGNMENT
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1. DEALING WITH GARDENER DROPOUT
There probably will always be a high rate of turnover in community
gardens. People sign up for plots and then don't follow through
or it’’s like pulling teeth to get gardeners to
show up for the group work days, even when they are required.
Some of this is understandable--gardening is hard work especially
for a first time gardener, things happen that are hard to control,
meetings aren’’t always scheduled at the most convenient
time for everyone, etc.
But if you have worked hard to form a committed group, if everyone
has worked hard to overcome an obstacle (the creation of the
community garden), there is likely to be a higher level of commitment
than if it is all given to you with no effort on your part. The
more you invest, emotionally and physically, the more likely
you are to be committed. That’’s why support from
an outside agency, while nice to have, can sometimes be a double-edged
sword. If you haven’’t had to work hard to accomplish
something special, it’’s much easier to lose interest
and walk away.
That’’s one part of keeping the spirit of community
alive and well. But there is also the need for ongoing stoking
of the fires. A variety of strategies can all contribute to keeping
the level of gardener interest and participation high. A garden
that people are proud of and has something to offer the entire
community, is one that will continue to be a source of community
pride.
HERE ARE SOME SUGGESTIONS FOR KEEPING THE FIRES BURNING:
- Produce a monthly newsletter. It doesn’’t have
to be much more than a page or two and should have gardening
tips and info as well as some personal notes to help the gardeners
get to know each other.
- Have an email list for rapid communication but be sure to make
provisions for those without email. Don’’t make it
difficult for the gardeners to know each other’’s
names.
- Hold at least 3 parties: in the spring, in midsummer, and a
fall harvest party. These can be separate from or in conjunction
with group work days and the dates should be picked for all three
at the start of the season and plans made that include and commit
everyone.
- Make sure to have a weather-protected message board so that
the garden coordinator can easily let people know what garden
chores need doing, announce upcoming meetings , parties, workshops,
etc.
- Hold regular, required work days to keep on top of communal
chores (keep weeds controlled in the common areas, refresh pathways,
etc.) The frequency of these work days should be decided by the
garden management group at the beginning of the season. Some
gardens require attendance at monthly work bees, others require
that you spend a certain number of hours per month or per season
in group tasks.
- Hold regular, short meetings throughout the year, even during
the winter. (the 3rd Thursday, the first Monday, etc.) . You
might cut back to every other month during the winter, but no
fewer than that or it will be easier to miss a meeting. Most
gardeners do not really want to attend meetings--they would rather
be gardening-- so make the meetings fun and hold them in a pub
or cafe.
- Work on a community project together, such as donating extra
produce to a local food bank or family shelter.
- The garden coordinator should pick a specific time when he
or she will always be at the garden. This can be decided with
the group. That way the gardeners will know that some one is
always there to help, answer questions, or just be friendly face.
- If your garden is set up in individual plots, have a communal
area set aside for something special--butterfly plants, perennials,
corn, herbs, etc. Make sure that whatever is chosen is something
that at least 6 people want to work on. You don’’t
want it to fall into your hands alone or it will be a sore spot
with you and with the others.
- Hold a seedling sale in early spring. Arrange for the group
to start seedlings either at someone’’s house who
has a light set up or with a local school, greenhouse, etc. and
plant enough so that you can sell the extras to the community
and make some money for the garden. Or divide perennials and
sell them.
- Hold a friendly competition. Who grows the biggest peppers,
the reddest tomatoes, who is the best beginner gardener, who
shows the most improvement. Combine it with a party, give out
ribbons, report it in your newsletter and even in the local newspaper.
- If your city holds garden tours, get your garden on the tour.
Encourage the gardeners to go on the tour to see other community
gardens. Well before the day of the tour, make sure to let all
your gardeners know that the garden will be visited and the honour
of the group is at stake! Hold a group clean up day.
- Have a group construction project every year. It could be a
gazebo, children’’s area, garden gate...
- Some gardens get known for a specialty. It could be producing
the best compost or holding a weekly workshops or monthly barbecue
and corn roast. Invite the community to participate, not just
the garden members.
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2. MONTHLY TASKS FOR THE COMMUNITY GARDEN
Here’’s a list of tasks for the garden coordinator,
the gardeners, and the committees to carry out. It should be
the responsibility of the coordinator and the steering committee
to assign the group tasks and see that they get carried out.
Gardening tasks are listed here and can also be found in gardening
guides that are specific to your area. The garden coordinator’’s
task is to remind the gardeners of what needs to be done when,
not to do it for them, unless they need assistance.
JANUARY & FEBRUARY
If this is a new garden, these first 2 months will be consumed
with organizing. See weeks 2, 3 & 4. Everything you need
to do it listed there.
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MARCH
- The garden coordinator, whether paid or volunteer, should be
in place and involved by mid-March.
- Order seeds, either communally or remind the gardeners.
- Arrange for an educational workshop, topic to depend upon gardeners
needs. Seed starting would be an appropriate one at this time
of year.
- Arrange for space in a greenhouse or under lights for seed
starting. Start seeds of tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and other
long season plants indoors, under lights.
- Confirm arrangements for site preparation, rototilling, etc.
- Do outreach for gardeners, if needed. Put up flyers, announce
it on your local radio or newspaper, get the newspaper to do
a story on the garden
- Begin to assign plots. - Do you need any of the following:
rain barrels, hoses, buckets, watering cans, tools?Do you have
a system for sharing tools?
- Make provisions for secure on-site tool storage, both for small
hand tools and for larger ones. If you already have a tool shed,
make sure it is cleaned and ready for the season.
- How’’s the garden sign, the message board? Does
it need repainting?
- if you don’’t have them already, arrange for compost
bins (some municipalities provide them at a nominal charge).
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APRIL
- Hold an orientation meeting with all gardeners, new and old.
Explain the rules and regulation and have everyone sign their
agreement to abide by them (see Sample Rules and Regulations).
- Re-assign unused plots to next people on the Garden Waiting
List.
- Determine the levels of gardening skills within the group and
determine gardeners’’ needs.
- In the beginning of the month or as soon as the soil is workable,
send a sample of the soil for testing if you haven’’t
done that in the fall.
- produce the monthly newsletter
- Weather and soil permitting, begin construction of new garden
areas (new beds, plots, paving, arbours, retaining walls, fences,
etc.). Don’’t be tempted to do any digging if the
soil is very wet or is still frozen. You’’ll harm
the soil structure and actually set your schedule back.
- When the soil is workable, hold a workbee and stake out the
plots and prepare the soil by digging in compost, manure, bone
meal and whatever else the soil analysis recommends.
- Encourage the gardeners to plant cool season crops such as
peas, lettuce, onion sets, spinach.
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MAY
- Finish any landscaping construction.
- if you didn’’t do so in April, prepare the garden
beds after the soil has warmed up.
- Prepare a news release about the garden for the local media.
- Contact all gardeners to see if they need any help.
- Hold a mid-month work day to make sure that all plots are assigned
and prepared, Depending upon your climate zone, the time may
be right for planting out transplants.
- The coordinator should develop and maintain a demonstration
plot, the harvest of which can be donated to a food bank.
- Begin to set out transplants after the 24th of May (or whatever
is the last frost-free date in your area), but only if it is
warm enough. Tomatoes and other warm weather crops may still
need protection from cool night time temperatures well into June.
- Produce the monthly newsletter
- Have an official opening day party for the garden (it doesn’’t
have to be the ““real”” first day for
the garden). Don’’t forget to invite donors and other
important friends as well as local media.
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JUNE
- Finish setting out tender transplants
- All gardens should be planted by which ever date the group
has decided. Any plots not planted by that date should be reassigned.
- Begin harvesting peas, radishes, lettuce and spinach that were
planted in April.
- Make sure the water system is adequate and that gardeners are
able to use it easily.
- Be on the look out for any pest and disease problems.
- Be on the look out for any potential vandalism. Nip it in the
bud before it has a chance to escalate.
- Stake tomatoes, put up supports for beans and other vines,
- Plant succession crops .
- Maintain the site, mow borders and pathways, make compost,
make sure that all members are able to fulfill their maintenance
obligations .
- The coordinator should make sure to have everyone’’s
vacation schedule so that s/he can take care of the plots while
the gardeners are away.
- Hold a regular, required work day. Keep weeds controlled in
the common areas, refresh pathways, etc.
- Arrange for educational workshops, such as composting, insect
and disease control, as needed.
-Produce newsletter.
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JULY AND AUGUST
- Reassign and replant any abandoned plots.
- Continue maintenance chores.
- Make sure that the gardens are adequately watered during the
hottest months and encourage gardeners to reapply mulch, as needed.
- Continue monitoring for insect and disease problems. - Hold
a midseason get-together that includes neighbors, entrepreneurs,
and local officials who don't garden there. Recognize outstanding
volunteers and gardeners.
- Hold a regular, required work day. Keep weeds controlled in
the common areas, refresh pathways, etc.
- Set up a distribution system for surplus produce.
- Hold demonstrations on food preserving techniques.
- Conduct tours of the garden and prepare the gardens for awards
judging, if desired.
- Write monthly newsletter.
- Enjoy the harvest
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SEPTEMBER
- Conduct an evaluation survey of the gardeners. Find out what
worked, what didn’’t, what they would like to see
for next year, etc.
- Order seeds for green manure cover crops, to be planted after
gardens are cleaned up.
- Order fall bulbs for late September/early October planting.
- Hold a Harvest Party towards the end of the month.
- Write monthly newsletter.
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OCTOBER/NOVEMBER
- Hold a workday to clean up plots and the rest of the site,
after everyone has had a chance to harvest. Remove and compost
spent plant materials. Plant green manure/cover crops.
- Send soil sample for analysis
- Clean, repair and store tools for the winter.
- Repair any damage to fences, walls, tool shed, etc.
- Flush and winterize watering system.
- Prune dormant trees, shrubs and vines as required.
- Write monthly newsletter.
- Write thank you letters to volunteers, supporters and funders.
- Begin monthly social gatherings and educational workshops.
- Write annual report. Include budget, summary of activities,
recommendations and priorities for the coming year. Distribute
to gardeners.
- Have an organizational meeting to evaluate the garden, suggest
changes and improvements, choose next year's priorities and get
organized for next season
- Evaluate the project and plan changes for next year, based
upon gardener surveys, garden coordinator’’s report,
etc.
- Garden leadership committee should evaluate garden plots and
determine who will be invited back next year. Notify the gardeners
of the decisions, in accordance with garden's procedural guidelines.
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3. CELEBRATE!
Your ideas and hard work have finally become a community garden.
What’’s next? Celebrate!! Have a grand opening, barbecue,
or some other fun event to give everyone who helped to make this
happen a special thank-you. This is the time to give all those
who gave donated materials or time a special certificate, a basket
of freshly harvested veggies, their name on the garden sign,
a bouquet, or other form of recognition.
Be sure to make time for celebrations and take every opportunity
to celebrate the accomplishments of the garden, whether a new
one or a garden that has been around for twenty years. Celebrate
the youngest and oldest gardeners, the most improved, the opening
of the herb garden, the dedication of the gazebo. Any opportunity
will help to encourage the spirit of community that is so important
to the success of a garden.
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4. COPING WITH VANDALISM
Vandalism is an affliction of just about every community garden
at one time or another. There is no one handy answer on how to
prevent it, but most community garden groups are able to control
it after a while. Most vandalism occurs because of boredom, jealousy,
and ignorance.
The immediate reaction of just about every fledgling community
garden group, when confronted by that first raw evidence of vandalism,
is to put up a fence. While this can sometimes be effective,
depending upon the community, it can also incite even more destruction.
Even if you put up an enormous fence, topped by razor wire, there
will be some incredibly persistent individual who sees it as
his life’’s mission to get over (or under, or through)
that fence. Besides, who wants to garden inside that sort of
prison?
A situation in which a fence makes good sense is where the garden
is likely to be a target of dogs or balls. In these cases, a
four foot high fence is plenty. What’’s more, with
this type of fence you can take the opportunity to create a garden
feature. Encourage a friendly competition among gardeners, neighbours,
children, friends, to design individual wooden pickets for the
fence. Fences can also be used to grow flowering vines, such
as morning glories, or as supports for grapes, beans, cucumbers
or other space-greedy climbers. Or come up with some other creative
approach to fence building. It doesn’’t need to be
expensive, as professionally installed anti-vandal fences usually
are.
The most successful anti-vandal strategy seems to be to invite
the vandals to participate in the garden. You may be scoffed
at, both by the vandals and by your fellow gardeners, but there
are numerous examples of the success of this tactic from all
over North America. The vandals, usually bored kids, often turn
out to be the most active gardeners, as well as an excellent
deterrent to other vandals.
If this strategy isn’’t possible, the next most successful
approach is to keep repairing the damage that they do. Hopefully,
they’’ll eventually get bored and move on. It can
be quite heartbreaking to be confronted with the terrible evidence
of their work, especially after your group has put its heart
and soul into the gardens, but the best way to keep your spirits
up is to quickly replace and repair, just as you would if the
damage occurred because of a hail storm or other naturally occurring
garden destroyer.
And finally, some vandalism isn’’t purposely malicious,
but happens because there are, unfortunately, too many homeless
people who, in addition to being without shelter, do not have
access to affordable, nutritious food. Community gardens located
in areas of this kind of desperation can expect this kind of ““vandalism””.
It is far better to plant an extra plot or two and invite them
to help themselves. Better still, invite them to join the garden.
It is, after all, a community garden.
HERE ARE A FEW COMMON SENSE PRECAUTIONS TO FOLLOW:
- Locate the garden in a highly visible area. Ask neighbours
of the garden to keep their eye on it and reward them (from
the garden) for their efforts.
- Know who belongs to the garden and who doesn’’t.
Exchange names and phone numbers. Pass out membership cards or
buttons, or come up with some other method of easily and discreetly
identifying gardeners.
- If the garden has a locked gate or storage bin, keep careful
record of the keys. If you use a combination lock, remind the
gardeners to keep the combination to themselves.
- Keep the garden well maintained to show that you care about
the space
- Repair damage immediately to send a strong message that the
gardeners are in control of the garden, not the vandals.
- Display a sign saying who the gardens are for and how to participate.
- Harvest produce daily during peak season. If some gardeners
will be away during harvest time, arrange to have someone else
harvest the plots. The less temptation, the better.
- If your garden seems to be beset by a nightly ““harvester””,
a discreet stakeout by two or more gardeners may be necessary
to identify the culprit. But be careful! Don’’t try
to confront him or her on the spot. That is better left to daytime
hours, and by the coordinator and another person in authority
- Plant more than you need and set aside a plot, near the entrance,
for people who truly need the food and are not malicious vandals.
Add a sign saying ““If you need vegetables, please
join our community garden. If you need food today, then please
pick from this plot only.””
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5. COMMUNITY RELATIONS
Any new use of land in an established community will stimulate
curiosity and positive and negative reactions. As the new kid
on the block, it’’s important to inform the neighbours
about what you’’re doing and why and to invite them
to participate in the garden. Make sure to include an invitation
to join on the garden’’s sign. The neighbours can
also be a wonderful resource to the garden. If they are willing,
ask them to keep an eye out for trouble, as you will offer to
do for them. It is well documented that community gardens increase
public safety by having more ““eyes on the street””,
often at irregular hours, such as early morning and evening.
Ask about local soils and growing conditions, wildlife, pedestrian
shortcuts, historic uses of your site. And don’’t
forget to invite all neighbours to the garden’’s
parties, whether they garden there or not.
If the neighbours seem reluctant to endorse the idea of a community
garden, or express the opinion that the garden is sure to become
an eyesore, show them photos of other successful community gardens
and, of course, make certain that the garden is always well maintained.
It’’s also a good idea to include some flowers in
your garden, especially in high visibility areas such as around
the edges or on the street side. And take the neighbours a bouquet
of flowers or basket or freshly harvested veggies.
With foresight and planning, the garden can become a source of
neighbourhood pride, rather than a point of contention. Tend
your neighbourhood as well as your garden.
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6. FINAL ASSIGNMENT:
Start a community garden, take lots of photos, and write to tell
me all about it.
laura@foodshare.net
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