Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Discuss your policies for visitors in the garden; encourage members to greet visitors and let them know
whether visitors are welcome, or unwelcome, to harvest vegetables.
GARDENING APPROACHES
Mention your policy about organic gardening (if you have one) and discuss any special gardening philo-
sophies (such as permaculture) which participants are required to employ.
PROGRAMS
Discuss special programs or partners, how such programs work, and how the gardeners are expected or not
expected to participate. For example, if a portion of your garden is donated to a local food and nutrition part-
ner, explain how that system works.
VOLUNTEERING
Discuss your volunteer needs. If you have a mandatory hours program (see
p. 115
)
, discuss that and how
gardeners are expected to fulfill these hours.
ACCESS
Discuss any issues related to getting into the garden, such as how to use the lock, making sure the gates are
locked when the last person leaves, and closing gates when people are alone in the garden for security reas-
ons. If your garden doesn't have a fence, talk about your policies for managing theft (if you care), and
policies around harvest of vegetables.
COMMUNITY AREAS
Talk about group responsibilities for common areas, such as picking up trash and pulling weeds. If you have
a trash receptacle, discuss this. If you ask your gardeners to take their trash home with them, discuss this. En-
courage gardeners to police the perimeter of the garden for trash or weeds.
SPECIAL EVENTS
If you will be having special events (or want to have special events), talk about other ways the garden can be
used and encourage gardeners to help come up with or manage events.
CONSEQUENCES OF NON-PARTICIPATION
You will have instances of people not doing what they agreed to do. Expect it. Decide prior to registration
what the consequences will be for such issues as unweeded plots, unharvested food, and members who don't
fulfill mandatory volunteer hours. Will they be kicked out of the garden or not allowed to return the follow-
ing season? Will their plot be tended or harvested after a notification and a waiting period? Will the plot be
assigned to someone on a waiting list? Let gardeners know ahead of time what to expect, so there are no mis-
understandings. And don't set up a system you won't be able to enforce because it will ruin your credibility
moving forward. Also remember that this is a community garden—it's not the end of the world if someone
leaves, as people do in any community. Don't make a bigger deal of it than need be; life happens and every-
one needs a little forgiveness once in a while. Set a matter-of-fact tone for these situations up front.
TOOLS
If you have shared tools, talk about usage and return policies. If you have a shed or storage area, discuss ac-
cess and how it is secured.
