The Dirty Dozen -Your Guide to a Successful Community Garden - Portland, Oregon

8/8/2019 The Dirty Dozen -Your Guide to a Successful Community Garden - Portland, Oregon

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The Dirt Dozen: Your Guide to a Success ul Communit Garden 2009 Pa e 1

The Dirty Dozen:Your Guide to a Successful Community Garden

Text by Becky Lovejoy, Design/Layout by Christy Evans

2009 Portland, Oregon

Congratulations! You are about to embark on a thrilling adventure, bringing the magic ofgrowing things to people whose lives will be changed as they tend a productive garden. Youllbe helping families live more sustainably, eat healthier food, save some grocery money, get moreexercise, and build friendships with people who were strangers just the day before. Can all ofthis come from a patch of peas or a tomato plant? You bet! The demand is there, with people onwaiting lists for garden plots numbering in the hundreds.

Use this practical guide to lead you on your way to a successful community garden. You can getstarted with just one person who is committed to manage the garden, and some land with a water

source to hook up a hose

Becky Lovejoy has a Masters in Education and is a certified Master Gardener and manages a

25-plot community garden at a church in Portland.


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Table of Contents: Land Page 3

Money Page 4

Raised Beds Page 5

Tools/Supplies Page 6

Compost Page 7

Garden Layout Page 8

Garden Improvements Page 9

Recruiting Gardeners Page 10

Garden Management Page 11

Social Aspects Page 12

Legal Stuff Page 13

Helping Others Page 14

Appendix Page 15-16


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LandMany community gardens are on land loaned out by a church, community center or school.

An unused area of grass in a school playground, an empty lot in a neighborhood, or thesunny side of the church make ideal places for a community garden. Youll need 6-8hours of summer sun to grow vegetables and fruits.

Get official permission! Have a signed agreement with the landowner, ideally for a fewyears. Gardens improve with age as you amend the soil and people get invested in theirrental plots. If the area will be paved over as a parking lot in a year or developed for anapartment complex, find a more long-term location.

Have a water source. Youll need to hook up one or more hoses to irrigate in the summermonths, and it should be convenient to the garden.

Be sure there arent toxic wastes in the soil before you start growing food. Farmland thathas used toxic herbicides and pesticides, or areas with pollution runoff or wastewaterfrom industry are not good bets.

Level land is best, to save you the work of terracing and to guard against flooding ordrainage problems.

A fence around the area is handy if you have a deer problem, but it is not necessaryunless you want to keep casual foot traffic out.

Perfect soil is not required. Most gardens purchase soil for raised beds.


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Money NEVER let the lack of money hold you back. Nevertheless, its good to figure stuff out on paper

before you promise a community garden to dozens of waiting gardeners.

Your biggest ongoing costs will be soil, amendments (fertilizer, compost, etc.) and water.Asking each gardener to provide their own soil can be costly and overwhelming for newgardeners or those on a limited budget. Instead, order soil and manure in bulk. Know thatevery year the rain will pack the soil down so expect to make at least two years of soilpurchases before garden beds are rich enough to only require amending from time totime. One cubic yard covers about 50 square feet to a depth of 4-6 inches and youllwant a depth of at least 10-12 inches in your plots. Prices vary, but an all-purposeplanting mix is about $25/yard plus a delivery fee.

Its a nice gesture to pay your portion of the water bill to the church or school thatsdonated the land for your garden. A quick-and-dirty way is to calculate the water costusing the OSU Master Gardeners recommendations of how many inches a vegetablegarden needs (1-inch a week), multiplied by the square footage of tillable plots, andmultiplied by the number of weeks that we need to water. Theres not enough rain fromMay through mid-October.

With church gardens, why not tithe 10% of your rental fees to the church? The rest couldbe left over for repairs, improvements, or to give to your local food bank or other agencythat feeds the hungry.

Check around to see what the going rates for garden plots are in your area, by makingsome calls or going on the Internet and searching for community gardens. Ballpark rentalfees are $10 to $15 for a 4x8 bed and $30 to $50 for a 16x16 plot for the year.

Dont make the mistake of giving people plots for free, no matter how deserving orneedy they seem to be. Without an investment on their part, their commitment is boundto be low. Sweat equity is an option where renters work a certain number of hours oncommunal projects to get a plot, or are put in charge of a communal area.

Get creative about raising money. Create a memorial garden where people sponsor a rosebush thats planted for a loved one. Sell inscribed bricks and pave a path with them.Find a private or business donor and honor their contributions in some way in the garden.

Encourage kids to develop little businesses and sell earthworms, pumpkins, flowers,herbs or crafts. The possibilities are endless!

Summary of Costs:

Soil/Manure Water Tools and hoses Materials to build raised beds

Summary of Revenue:

Plot rental fees Fundraisers (produce, herb and

flower sales; garden crafts, etc.) Donations (in-kind or cash


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Raised BedsRaised beds are created by mounding soil above the existing ground, or building structures

(usually wood) to contain fertile soil in which to plant. Oregons clay soil doesnt drain well

enough for most vegetable and berry crops, so having raised beds is an easy solution.

Check out other community gardens for construction techniques and dimensions. Ivebeen successful with using 1x6 boards, reinforcing corners with 4x4s or 2x4s, andhaving the outside dimensions be 4x8. Coming up 10 to 12 is best to allow enough soildepth for good root growth.

Oregon is going green, and sustainability is the name of the game. Why buy new lumberthats expensive and uses up our forests, when theres plenty of usable wood around?Poll your congregation, neighborhood, or potential community gardeners, to see whattwo-by-fours they have in their garages. Who just took down a cedar fence? Who is in

construction and has scraps around? Who is ripping down their back deck? There arealso places that sell used building materials for a fraction of the cost of new.

If you use pressure-treated wood (new or used), line it with 6-ml plastic that you can getin rolls from home improvement stores, and staple it down to protect produce from toxicchemicals which may leach out into the soil.

With donated materials, your only cost could be the hardware. Use screws instead ofnails to build the raised beds, since theyre stronger. Have skilled folks with power toolsand some notion of construction techniques to make the beds. Try scheduling a weekendwork bee and get it all done at once.

You open yourself up to liability if you let each renter make his/her own bed, sinceaccidents can happen with power tools. You also want uniformity in size so you can re-rent for the same price next year, and a quality product that will last a long time.

Lumber yards and construction companies may be willing to donate materials if they canget a tax write-off(for approved 501(3) organizations) or some free publicity.

Consider making one or two wheelchair-accessible beds by having the top of the bed 30-36 off the ground. Old hot tub surrounds can be modified nicely for this purpose.

Cinder blocks and other large concrete bricks or blocks can also be used to build beds.Reinforce with rebar if needed. If your site has grass, consider putting down up to three layers of cardboard or multiple

sheets of newspaper, and pile soil on top. Over time, the grass will die, the paper willdecompose, and roots and micro-organisms will break up the soil. If the site hascompacted earth, break it up with a spade before adding garden soil.


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Tools/Supplies You need a few basics to set up the gardena wheelbarrow for moving soil and amendments,

rakes to even the ground, a spade or two Then decide whether you want to provide tools or

have people bring their own. If you provide 4x8 raised beds, most gardening can be done withhand tools that people bring themselves.

Ask for tool donations. Neighbors, congregants and garden renters always have extras intheir garden sheds and garages. Our 25-plot garden has a wheelbarrow, two wateringcans, two spades, a dozen hand tools, and a pitchfork. Thats all we need since peopleprovide their own gloves and any special tools they want to use. You can also findinexpensive tools and maybe even a used storage shed at yard sales, thrift stores, or atCraigs List on the Internet.

Do you need a locked shed to store stuff? Assess the neighborhood and decide foryourself. Sometimes having older tools and hiding them from view of the street or publicareas is all you need to do.

Store your tools from November March when few people garden. This also protectstools from rust or theft.

Donated hoses with leaks can be repaired easilypatch kits from home improvementstores are easy to use. New hoses arent too costly but buy the better quality versionswhich last longer.

Keep a current first aid kit in the garden for cuts and scrapes. If you manage your rental fees well, you may have extra money to purchase a few new

tools each year to upgrade/add to what you have.


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Compost Making compost is a great way to enrich your garden soil and dispose of discarded plantmaterial. Its sustainable and inexpensive what could be better?

Instructions abound on how to make compost. Basically, you layer browns (dried leavesand other dry dead stuff) with greens (grass clippings, green plant materials), add somewater, turn it regularly, and the worms and bacteria will eventually turn it into wonderfulcompost that provides nutrients and good drainage to your soil.

Keep weed seeds, diseased plants, food that might attract animals (mice, rats andraccoons), and trash out of compost piles.

If you have a communal compost pile, assign someone to turn it regularly and keep thingsneat.

If you rent large plots, invite individuals to have small compost containers that theymaintain on their own site.

Consider planting cover crops in the winter to fix nitrogen in the soil and protect thenutrients in the soil from being leached out by winter rains. These plants (rye grass,vetch, clover, fava beans, field peas) then get turned under in the spring and will compostin the soil over time.

On a related matter, think of what youll do with all the bio mass at the end of the season(tomato vines, corn stalks, etc.) if you dont have compost bins. A dumpster is often not

big enough for all this material. In Portland, check Metros website under Find aRecycler and youll get a list of places that will take plant debris for a fee. Anotheroption is to rent a yard debris container which is hauled away for a fee.


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Garden Layout Combine function with beauty and you have a community garden to be proud of!

Decide how big the garden will be and then play around with graph paper, a pencil, and abig eraser. 4x8 raised beds are a great size for individuals. 16x16 plots are a nicestandard size for a family plot, which youll mark off with permanent stakes. This keepsthe plot boundaries from expanding into paths, and creates a hose guard so that hosesarent dragged over plantings as people water nearby plots. Metal t-posts are inexpensiveand come in various sizes. Just pound them in with a sledge hammer.

A combination of small beds and large plots works well, and you can always convertlarge plots to small beds down the road. My experience with large plots is that theyquickly become unsightly repositories for all sorts of wood structures, bags of old leavesor cut grass, buckets and plastic tools, and old lawn chairs. Check out other gardens andsee if its a look you can live with. Otherwise, stick with small beds or have policies in

place that junk should not be stored in the garden.

Convention says to have the long side of raised beds running north to south so plantswont shade out each other from the sun. Beds too close to large trees may get filled withroots seeking rich soil. Beds in low areas may get flooded in winter, rotting the raisedbeds wood and souring the soil.

Create paths between your raised beds. Three feet wide is a good rule of thumb, to allowroom for wheelbarrows.

Paths will get muddy or weedy over time. A great solution is to put sheets of cardboardover the grass or mud, and cover with a 4-6 layer of wood chips. Asplundh, the currentcontractor for PGE that trims trees that are in the way of power poles, is happy to donatetree chips when theyre in your area. Get on their waiting list and follow-up regularly. Inwinter, private tree removal services in the Yellow Pages may donate their chips sincethey save money in dump fees, but be sure its not from diseased trees. Be prepared torefresh chips every year or two.

Designate a way for trucks to come up to the garden to dump soil or manure, and a placefor gardeners to park cars or bikes.

Get permission for gardeners to use a local bathroom, or rent a port-a-potty for thegardening season once youve checked for any zoning requirements.


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Garden Improvements Start small and get the basics done the first year, but be ready to do improvements as time and

resources permit. Many community gardens take three years to reach full capacity.

Think of having communal flower beds to attract bees and other pollinators that areessential for a successful garden. Is there a fence that youd like to cover with floweringvines? Do you want to include a rose garden or a cutting garden for fragrance or beauty?Is there room for a few fruit trees, a grape vine, or some raspberries for all to share?

Dont have gardeners think that theyre limited to growing produce. Some people prefergrowing flowers to growing food, and it can be easier if they are short on time orgardening skills.

Storing tools out of the rain is a good idea. If you have a shed, great! If theres a fence,reinforce it with a board, include an overhang to keep the rain off, install hooks, and hangtools.

Compost bins and worm bins are fun to add. Include educational signs explaining howthey work.

Gardens are a wildlife habitat, and you can improve them by being sure you have food, awater source and shelter for beneficial birds and insects.

Maintain a non-toxic environment by not using herbicides or pesticides in the garden. Water features are a great addition to the garden. Think of a small fountain, a little pond,

shallow dishes for butterflies to drink from, and bird baths. Remember that deep water isa liability since its a drowning hazard for children. Also, from July through September,empty and re-fill water regularly to protect against mosquito larvae.

Have benches! Planks on bricks painted with cheery colors make terrific places to sit andsocialize, and add vibrancy to the garden. Used picnic tables or benches from yard salescan be prettied up as well. Think of storing them out of the rain in the winter, or coveringthem with tarps.


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Recruiting Gardeners

With a little bit of promotion, you should have all the gardeners you want and more. Waitinglists for garden plots abound all over Portland, so its just a matter of getting the word out.

Decide whether to limit your renters to the church, school, or neighborhood that hasprovided the land, or to open it to the general public.

When renewals come up next year, decide whether your waiting list will be on a first-come-first-served basis, or whether preference is given to a certain group. Stick toyour decision and dont play favorites.

Decide whether an individual or family can have more than one plot. Limitingfamilies to two 4x8 beds or one larger plot is reasonable.

Advertise with flyers in the local neighborhood, or on Craigs List on the Internet.Ask the local paper to run a story on your new garden and include your e-mail as acontact. Contact gardens with waiting lists and see if you can help meet the need.Have interested individuals recruit their friends, so they can garden together.

Seniors, kids, and everyone in between loves to garden. Target your recruiting toplaces like local retirement homes, pre-schools, health food stores and garden centers.Dont forget the local food bank or other social service agencies that help low-incomefolks get back on their feet.

In general, people who have to travel a long distance to work in the garden will notcome often and will eventually drop out. Focus on the immediate neighborhood.


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Garden Management Leadership is essential! Four or five committed helpers are a good rule of thumb. Your workgets easier after the first year and you can certainly delegate many duties. Expect it to take a

while before you find the best form of governanceHere are some things to think about.

Know up front that enthusiasm for the garden will come fromyou. Attendance at workparties, peoples adherence to policies, and the solving of problems, are a direct reflectionof your energy and skill sets. Every person has unique talents so delegate what you dontenjoy or do well.

Do you want to require community service hours from your gardeners? This can saveyou some work, but youll still be in charge of scheduling work parties, setting them up,and supervising. Six to ten hours a season is a reasonable amount of time to require yourrenters to work.

Work parties are best when you schedule them in advance, remind gardeners about themoften, and include evening and weekend times.

Here are some duties that need to be done or delegated:- Coordinate recruitment and sign-ups of plots. See Appendix for forms and a suggestedtimeline.- Make some sheet colorful flyers advertising the garden and post them everywhere.I keep some in a mailbox in the garden, where people can exchange notes and pick upflyers like this.- Send regular e-mails to gardeners and/or have a place to post information at the garden

site. This keeps enthusiasm up and allows you to pass on information. Tell them when toplant which type of vegetable for folks who are new to gardening.- Have regular work parties or garden potlucks to get the social thing going. PeopleLOVE this but youll need to organize it for them.- Have a trash can on-site and empty it regularly. Pick up garbage around the site as well.- Maintain paths with chips and cardboard. Its good to do this in Nov/Dec when nothingelse is happening and it keeps weeds down that will sprout in late winter/early spring.- Shut down water in November and start it up in March to protect pipes from freezing.- Store tools for the winter.- Repair and/or replace tools and hoses.- Think of sending a quarterly report to the landowner/organization with a few paragraphs

of what youve accomplished and what you plan to do next quarter. It keeps everyone inthe loop. As a start-up garden, think of doing this monthly to crow about your successes!- Make a garden map, update it each year, and laminate it. Include first names of rentersso people can confirm which plot is theirs and know the names of others.- Have an official presence in the garden. Walk around, know everyone by name, havethem comfortable about giving you complaints and suggestions, and give them gardeningtips as needed. People new to gardening need confidence boosters.- Delegate as much as you can so one person isnt overwhelmed.


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Social Aspects We are social creatures, and although picking tomatoes can be fun alone, having a harvest

potluck, helping someone else plant their carrots and beets, or designing a flower garden in a

common area are the things that build community and foster strong and lasting friendships.

Pick a day to do sign-ups for plot rentals so people can get excited, meet one another, andmaybe get some free prizes like seeds, starts, or snacks. You can finish sign-ups by mailor e-mail, but its fun to have a kick-off to the gardening season. Anytime in Marchworks.

Schedule a harvest potluck, perhaps in mid-September. Invite people to bring lunchitems that include produce from their gardens. Have a garden tour where each gardenershares what worked and what didnt, so everyone can learn and celebrate successes.Take photos!

Schedule work parties ahead of time so people can put the dates on their calendars.People love to design and plant communal flower gardens, spread chips/soil/manure,hang up bird feeders, swap seeds and plants, or do large clean-up projects. Providerefreshments and thank people for coming. Limit work parties to 2-3 hours so you donttire out your volunteers!

If youd like to raise additional funds for the garden, have kids and adults do fundraisersand invite the general public.

Consider a communal bulletin board for announcing events, posting messages,coordinating people to water for vacationing gardens, or offering invitations to shareextra produce.


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Legal Stuff Have as few rules as possible but enforce them uniformly. See the Appendix for useful forms.

Liability Waivers: These protect the school, church or community center from beingsued if something happens. A sample is in the Appendix that you can modify foryour use. Have someone in charge approve this, and keep a signed copy on file foreach gardener.

Insurance: Be sure you have adequate public liability insurance coverage. Contact Info: Have basic information on file for all your gardeners. I find

communicating by e-mail is quick and easy, saving time and paper. If someonedoesnt have e-mail, think of posting information in the garden or have a small part ofyour budget for stamps and envelopes.

Policies: Some rules are essential! Be sure people agree to the policies going in, andbe ready to enforce them if theyre not followed. It just takes one or two peoplemisusing the privileges of community gardening to make others feel resentful.

Timeline: Signing up people before February 1st in western Oregon doesnt work theyre just not thinking about being outdoors yet. Not much happens before March1st in the vegetable gardening world, unless youre starting some early peas. May 1stis the time when everyone is out, since tomatoes and other warm-weather vegetablesare so popular. By October 31st, everyone heads inside as the rain starts patteringdown.

Ownership: Be sure people know that they are renters, not owners of their littlepiece of Eden. Their plot can be revoked if they dont abide by garden policies. Youmight consider a refund policy, if things dont work out with a gardener. Youll nodoubt have a waiting list so you might have deadlines for having or of their feesrefunded, and then turn around and rent the plot to someone new.


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Helping Others

Gardening reminds you of the abundance of the earth. Anyone who has planted more than

one zucchini plant or grew a few too many tomatoes knows that theres often extra to share.

Encourage gardeners to plant a row for the hungry. You get food to donate but also theadded value that comes from people committing to help others, or people in need beingresourceful and learning to grow their own food.

Donate food to the nearest food bank, church pantry, or social service agency servingthose in need. Donations to non-profits are nice tax write-offs as well. Put someone incharge of delivering the produce to charitable organizations, and designate a place forgardeners to swap produce amongst themselves at the garden.

If planting a row for charity is a goal for your garden, you might be able to obtain grantssuch as neighborhood development grants.

Ask your community gardeners or invite Master Gardeners or other experts to givehands-on workshops in the garden. How to grow tomatoes, garden basics, growingherbs, and making compost, are some basic ideas. People love to share their expertise.

Teach kids business skills like how to sell garden items or promote the garden in otherways. Having Eagle Scouts build a compost bin, or a home-schooled group haul soil toyour raised beds, gives everyone great work experience.

Think of having garden mentors. Experienced gardeners can be assigned to plot rentersnew to gardening, and can help them be successful.


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AppendixThe following are some useful forms to modify for your use.

INFO SHEET

NAME __________________________________

ADDRESS ________________________________________________

CITY _____________________________ ZIP CODE ___________

PHONE _______________________

E-MAIL _______________________________(used for routine garden communications)

LIABILITY WAIVER

I, _______________________________ have reviewed, understand, and agree to abide by

the policies relative to the use of the Community Garden and understand that use of theCommunity Garden may be denied if policies or rules are not followed.

I understand that gardening is a potentially hazardous activity and hereby agree toexpressly assume and accept all risks associated with gardening and the use of the

Community Garden including, but not limited to, those caused by terrain, facilities, soil

conditions, temperature, physical exertion, insect/rodent exposure, chemical exposure and

actions of other people.

I understand that my use of the Community Garden is voluntary and I do so at my own risk.

In consideration of being allowed to use the Community Garden, I hereby agree on behalf of

myself and my executors, etc. to waive, release, and forever discharge , each of its officers, agents, employees, representatives, the Garden

Manager, and all others from any and all responsibilities or liability for injuries (including

death), damages or loss including claims or causes of action, including those caused by thenegligent acts or omissions of any of those mentioned, resulting from my use of the

Community Garden or in any activities connected with the Community Garden.

_______________________________ _______________________________

Signature Date

_______________________________ _______________________________

Signature Date

(If two people share a plot, both should sign.)


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TIMELINE, POLICIES & PLOT ASSIGNMENTS Community Garden

Timeline: (March 1 February 28 is the official garden year)

March Time to renew plots.

March 31 Deadline to pay annual fee to renew last years plot.

May 1 Work should be started on plot to show intention to use it.

Unused or unkept plots may be reassigned after a 1-week warning.

Nov 15 Plot should be cleaned up and mulched or cover-cropped.

Garden Policies:Our goal is to keep the garden neat and safe for the enjoyment of all gardeners, and tomake a positive impression on people visiting the garden for enjoyment and reflection. So

that we can all enjoy the garden, please:

Keep your plot and the area around it weed-free so seeds dont spread to othergardens.

Keep your plants inside your plot boundaries to keep paths clear for hoses and othergardeners.

Only use organic products that are safe for people, pets and wildlife. The garden is apesticide-free and wildlife-friendly zone.

Conserve water when possible, coil hoses after using, and mulch when appropriate. Use communal tools on the premises, cleaning and returning them when done each

day. Tools will be stored and unavailable in the off-season: October-March.

Store personal items/materials neatly within your area or at home, not in communalareas like paths or tool storage areas.

Pets are welcome in the garden but must be leashed, stay on paths, and not eat ordamage plants. Pick up after your pets and dispose of waste in the trash can. Get permission before watering or harvesting from plots or areas other than yours

and do not use compost containers in others plots.

Households may rent up to two beds if available. Failure to follow these policies may result in your plot being reassigned.Plot Assignment:

Plot Rental: $30/year for larger unimproved areas.

Bed Rental: $10/year for 4x8 raised beds.

For irregular plot prices, contact Garden Manager.

Name __________________________________ Date __________________Amount _________________________ Check # _______________

Plot(s) Assigned _______________ Time Period: March 1, 2009 Feb 28, 2010

Welcome! Were glad youre here!

The Dirty Dozen -Your Guide to a Successful Community Garden - Portland, Oregon

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