Step 10 Celebrate your success Don ' t forget to take a step back and recognize your accomplishments . Hold a garden party and invite neighbors , local businesses and organizations . Show off the work you ' ve done , and talk to people about your plans for the future . This is a great way to gain community support for your garden .
Additional information for local agencies interested in starting a community garden , or groups interested in involving an outside organization
As noted previously , community gardens are generally started by individuals or small groups of neighbors or an outside group or local agency . In the latter case , the process of starting a garden is very similar to the process outlined previously , with a few added twists .
First , an outside group or agency needs to be clear about its reasons for wanting to start a community garden . Just as a small group of neighbors should be clear about its purpose and vision for a gardening project , an outside group or local agency should take the time to define its own purpose and vision for the project .
Second , an outside group or agency needs to be clear about its role in the garden ' s establishment and management . What exactly does the group or agency expect to contribute to the project ? Money , staff time , equipment , land , training , other resources ? For how long ?
Finally , it is very important that the outside group or local agency involve clients and potential gardeners from the beginning . All too often , outside groups or agencies develop well intentioned plans without engaging the people who will be affected by them .
Role of an outside facilitator or community organization In some cases , a volunteer gardening group will enlist the help of a facilitator or community organization who is not a part of the immediate group . Trained facilitators and organizers , such as university extension staff or other agency professionals , can assist groups as they work through the process of starting a community garden . However , the garden group and the outside facilitator should be clear about their respective roles . The facilitator ' s job is to help move the group along and assist with the group process . It is not the facilitator ' s job to do the actual work of starting and managing the garden . According to Jack Hale , executive director of Knox Parks Educations in Hartford , Conn ., facilitators and organizations should use the following guidelines ( Growing Communities Curriculum , p . 58 ) when engaging with garden groups :
� Facilitators or organizations should only work with groups that have at least 10 committed gardeners . Expect half of these people to drop out before the project is completed .
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The gardening group should accomplish at least one task — locating potential garden sites , finding out who owns a particular site , checking for water , etc . — before the first meeting .
� At the first meeting , everyone should be assigned a job to complete before the second meeting .
In Missouri , to locate MU Extension resources in your region , select your county name on the University of Missouri Extension
locations page .
Additional things to consider while getting started
Growing a garden Your local extension office can provide an array of resources concerning horticulture , composting , food safety and preservation . To search for an office in your area , go to the " State and National Partners Map " on the U . S . Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture ( NIFA ) website . Creating a garden roster and map As interest in your community garden begins to grow , it is essential to keep good records of interested gardeners , existing gardeners and plot assignments . Garden leaders will need to collect the names , addresses , phone numbers and email addresses of individuals . They will also need to create a map of the garden , keep track of plot assignments and develop a system for contacting gardeners . All of this can be done with paper and pencil or you can use spreadsheets to create electronic documents . Enhancing opportunities for success New and returning gardeners may need support and encouragement to keep up with their garden plot for the entire season . Garden leaders can encourage gardeners to take the following steps to enhance their chances of success :
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