Getting Started: Steps for Success

Most gardens start planning six months to a year before actually planting anything. You can also use these steps to reinvigorate or adapt an existing community garden.

Not sure what a community garden can be? Check out our Introduction section first.

Check out our Are You Ready? Checklist (PDF) to assess if you’re ready to start a community garden. If so, check out our section on Building and Installing the Garden.

Section Contents

► Step 1: Form Your Garden Committee
► Step 2: Establish Partnerships
► Step 3: Choose Your Site
► Step 4: Design the Garden
► Step 5: Identify Financial Supports
► Step 6: Write Garden Guidelines
► Step 7: Start Gardening!

A garden committee meets regularly during the year to plan and make decisions. Committees should share responsibilities among their members, to suit people’s interests, skills, and availability. 

First, share the idea of a community garden with neighbours and community organizations, such as a youth group, school, senior’s complex, or place of worship. Gather the names of people who want to help develop and use the garden. You don’t need to be an expert gardener to help start a community garden!

You can host a community meeting to brainstorm and recruit members. See Hosting Your First Community Garden Meeting (PDF) for more ideas.

Assigning Roles

Many community gardens assign roles to their committee members. For example, treasurer and secretary. Sharing tasks and letting people do what they enjoy helps keep them engaged and prevents burnout. 

Each garden should have a garden coordinator. This person manages the garden and keeps everyone in the loop. The best person for this role is good at managing projects and is a leader in the garden. This role could be for a volunteer or paid staff member from a community organization. 

Some garden committees also have working groups. Working groups focus on specific tasks, like educational programs, fundraising, or construction.

Our Garden Committee Position Descriptions (PDF) has more information about common committee roles and their expected time commitments.

Partnerships will help you kickstart and maintain your community garden. Start by brainstorming a list of community partners and people with knowledge and food skills. For example, you may know someone with landscaping and construction skills, or people with tools they are willing to share. Organizations may offer access to garden sites, staff time, knowledge, experience, and other resources.

Potential Community Partners

• Include your municipality or local service district from the beginning. They may provide staff and equipment, have zoning expertise, and are great partners for promotion and events. Public works and recreation departments are good places to start.

• Local businesses, such as hardware and gardening stores, may be willing to donate tools, materials, and seeds to your garden. You could also ask tradespeople if they'd donate time to advise or help with building and landscaping projects.

• Community groups, like churches, seniors and service clubs and non-profit organizations, can offer resources, guidance, donations, and networking opportunities. They may even help with labour to get your garden up and running. Plus, their members might be interested in having a plot or mentoring new gardeners.

• Funding agencies can cover expenses for materials, programming, or staffing.

• Check out Grant Resources in N.L. for local funding opportunities

• Community partners for knowledge and expertise: 

• Public institutions, like libraries, colleges, and universities, may be able to offer educational workshops for garden participants on a range of topics.

• Regional Nutritionists (Dietitians) with NL Health Services are nutrition experts and can provide nutrition advice, education and resources. 

• Organizations, like the MUN Botanical Garden, Newfoundland Horticultural Society, MMSB, and Food Producers Forum, can provide expertise on growing vegetables and fruits in Newfoundland and Labrador.

• Farms can offer gardening advice and provide seedlings or transplants for the garden. You can partner with local farms or garden centres for pre-season garden workshops.

• Other community gardens are the best source of information about starting and running a community garden. You should contact at least one community garden to learn from their experience.

When picking a spot, consider whether it's good for growing plants, easy to develop, and near the people who'll use it. It's best to have at least two potential sites in mind, just in case one falls through. Make sure you get permission from the landowner before you finalize anything. Check out the Permission for Land Use Template (PDF / Google Doc) for a sample contract between a landowner and a community garden.

Our Potential Garden Site Worksheet (PDF) can help you choose a site. If you can, mark down features on a map. Ask the landowner about anything you can’t see at the site or don’t know the answer to. Print the worksheet and bring it, along with any maps of the area, to a site visit.

You might already have a spot in mind, or the options in your area might be limited. If you're facing big challenges with the site, consider reaching out to a landscaper or seasoned gardener for advice and support.

Liability Insurance

Liability insurance protects the community garden and the landowner if someone gets hurt or things get damaged in the garden. Gardens also need insurance to receive support from some funders and local governments. 

When you select a site, ask the landowner if they have liability insurance that covers a community garden. The garden committee may want to have your own liability insurance. Speak with the landowner and a local insurance company to determine the appropriate coverage for the garden.

A plan will help to guide the physical layout of your garden. This garden plan will help you understand the budget and resources needed to complete it. You can build the garden in stages, leaving space to expand or complete different projects over time.

Design your garden for all ages and abilities. One way to do this is to get everyone involved throughout the planning process. During your initial community meetings, ask people what shared or individual spaces they need and how to accommodate their abilities. You can ensure the garden has few access barriers by following accessibility standards and including universal design principles.

Create a Site Map

A site map shows the garden’s layout from an overhead view. Site maps can be hand drawn, outlined on a physical map or printout from Google Maps, or created with computer design. See Local Gardens in Action for examples of site maps in N.L. 

On your map, mark pre-existing and permanent features, then consider various layouts. Consider how you will design the growing area and infrastructure. Include gardeners’ needs in your garden. The garden committee can review and vote for the site map that works best. 

Growing Area Layout 

• Take advantage of the best growing conditions. A south- or west-facing slope is best. Ideally, the area has more than 8 hours of direct sunlight and windbreaks. We recommend a north-south orientation for garden beds with low-growing crops. 

• Leave enough space in between beds for wheelbarrows, mobility devices, and strollers.

• Take a look at the sightlines between the garden, nearby roads, and other buildings. Plan for signage to make the garden more visible.

• Locate a common space and children’s garden plots in a central, visible area for supervision.

Infrastructure, Paths, and More

• Locate garden plots for convenient water access. Your garden’s success depends on having easy access to water for annuals, raised beds, and new seedlings.

• Outline structures, including signage, tool shed, rain barrels, greenhouses, fencing etc. Make sure their proposed size includes ramps and width for mobility devices.

• Designate a composting area that you can keep mown and access using a wheelbarrow.

• Identify an area where bulk soil and materials can be delivered by larger vehicles.

• Grade and clear the site for drainage and ease of movement. Pathways should be smooth and wide enough for strollers, wheelchairs, walkers, and wheelbarrows to navigate. 

Gardener’s Experience

• Add a simple bench or picnic table for tools, changing boots, etc. to create a more welcoming space.

• Ensure washroom access nearby.

• Add handrails, handles, or posts onto garden beds or structures where they could improve gardeners’ stability. 

• Consider creating plots with different soil levels. You can add raised beds, or use table tops and containers to make reaching more comfortable.

• Use colour contrasts in signage, pathways, steps, and other features to enhance visibility.

There are lots of resources about universal design and community gardens online. A few handy resources: 

• this webpage on universal design from the University of Waterloo.

• this PDF about universal design in community gardens from the Gardens Network in Wisconsin.

• this webpage on accessible gardening, including accessible design for people with different needs, from Just Food in Ottawa.

Building and maintaining a garden requires resources. Start by listing supplies and their costs based on your garden plan and site map. The garden committee should agree on a budget for things like infrastructure, tools, and programs. Make sure the treasurer has a system in place to track expenses (see Step One for more info about the Garden Committee).

There are a few ways that community gardens can keep costs down. You can rely on volunteer help, use materials creatively, and seek financial support. External funding can be helpful, but not every garden needs it.

Before you look for funding, create a community garden wish list to share with members, partners, donors, and sponsors. Our Community Garden Wish List (PDF) suggests items and supplies you may need or want.

Potential Funding Sources

• Annual gardener membership fees: These can help cover operating costs, but make sure the fees are affordable. The garden committee should set fees that are fair, reflect the garden's purpose, and meet members' needs. Handle any requests for reduced fees confidentially.

• Sponsorships: Local businesses may offer financial or in-kind support, like materials or expertise. Check your list of community partners (Step 2) and identify potential sponsors.

• Fundraising: Host events like flea markets, raffles, or craft and bake sales to raise money for start-up costs for ongoing operations. Check out Eat Great & Participate’s PDF of food and non-food fundraising ideas.

• Grants: Government bodies, foundations, and corporations may offer grants that could support your community garden. Keep in mind that grant applications often require financial and activity records and a final report. 

• Sign up for Food First NL’s monthly newsletter to stay up-to-date on grant opportunities. Check out our list of Grant Opportunities in N.L. for provincial contacts. 

• If your garden isn't part of an incorporated agency, you may need to consider incorporation to apply for grants. The Community Sector Council NL is a great resource for information on incorporation and grant opportunities.

Garden guidelines provide information on operations and expectations for taking part. Guidelines ensure information is easy to access, and that processes are clear and fair.

Your community garden guidelines should be part of a welcome packet that includes:

• Volunteer and gardener responsibilities and expected behaviour

• Agreements, fees, waivers, and other forms

• Safe handling of tools, materials, and chemicals

• Garden procedures

• Important contacts

You should include a variety of people when you develop your guidelines. Contact other community gardens about their guidelines. Talk to gardeners, landowners, and partners, before finalizing your guidelines. 

Include your Gardener Guidelines in the application and registration process so gardeners have the guidelines in advance. Ask each garden participant to agree to the guidelines when they register. 

Check out our Gardener Guidelines Template (PDF / Google Doc) for an allotment-style garden. Other practical ‘how to’ information can be expanded in a Welcome Packet for gardeners. Check out our Community Gardeners’ Welcome Packet Template (PDF / Google Doc) for content suggestions.

You are now ready to start your community garden!

Check out our toolkit sections on Building and Installing the Garden and Sustaining and Growing Your Garden for more information about the next steps. For inspiration, check out Local Gardens in Action.

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Contact

Contact our staff with any Community Garden Toolkit questions or comments. Email us at info@foodfirstnl.ca or call and leave a message at (709) 237-4026