Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Attorneys or others in the legal field are invaluable, especially when it comes to negotiating property leases,
reviewing documents, and drafting important materials like hold harmless waivers or MOUs. And, if
something bad happens in your garden (heaven forbid), an attorney can provide great support and peace of
mind, and perhaps mediate in a sticky situation.
ACCOUNTANTS
Your garden may be small, but people always get weird when money is involved. Someone with accounting
skills can set up your topics, even if they're basic, and help track income and expenditures so everything is
on the up-and-up.
GRAPHIC DESIGNERS
Savvy hobby and professional designers are great for helping with web-based needs, garden signage, flyers,
logos, or other ways to communicate the garden's message to the community.
WRITING, PUBLIC RELATIONS, AND MARKETING PROFESSIONALS
The specialized skills that PR and marketing professionals have—and their proficiency and experience with
social media and how to write copy—can be an enormous help when it comes to spreading the word about
your project in the community or beyond.
WORKING WITH OUTSIDE VOLUNTEER GROUPS
Depending on the size of your town or city, a local service or community organization may want to get
in on the fun at the community garden. These organizations can include local groups such as Rotary
or Kiwanis, fraternal organizations like the Masons or Knights of Columbus, or other service organiz-
ations. They may also be nonprofits with a service-driven mission similar to your own. Whatever their
story, they may want to garden with you or provide regular work groups to help with garden mainten-
ance. Churches and other religious organizations often have a mandate to help their communities, and
working with your garden in a one-off or long-term capacity can be a great fit for both groups. Corpor-
ations interested in the well-being of their employees and looking for outside volunteer opportunities,
either for individuals or groups, are now popular. High school or college students seeking service-learn-
ing hours are also a potential for positive, free labor.
The trick with a large outside group is having enough work for them. Naturally, if you're building
the garden and have hundreds of cubic yards of wood chips to spread, the larger the group the better.
But, as the season progresses, finding enough for a large group to do can become a challenge. There is
also the issue of timing. While it is safe to guess that many of your volunteer efforts and workdays are
scheduled on weekends, corporations or groups made up largely of retirees often want to do their team-
building activities on weekdays. If these regular workdays don't line up with a large group's needs, it
can be a challenge to work out how you can benefit from this free labor and exposure to your garden.
If you can make the timing work, the easiest (and oldest) garden task known to humanity is weeding.
Every garden needs it, and it is such a low-skill chore that anyone with some sunscreen, a good pair of
gloves, and a little patience can get the job done. Collecting trash around the perimeter of your garden
is another simple task that often needs to be performed on a regular basis, and gives some sense of ac-
complishment to your volunteer crew.
