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Drafting and enforcing garden rules Seeking out funding sources Developing a garden budget Making sure that both gardeners and interested neighbors know how to become involved
Adapted from Great Garden Leader Practices , Hannah Reinhart and Lauren Maul , Gateway Greening , St . Louis Making the garden accessible to all Community gardens tend to attract a wide variety of people , including those with physical or other challenges . Because of this , it is helpful to think of ways to make your garden accessible to all gardeners . Building accessible raised beds for those who use wheelchairs or have trouble bending over is one way to make the garden more accessible . For more information , see MU Extension publication G6985 , Raised-Bed Gardening . Another great publication on this topic is Accessible Raised Beds , by the Community Action Coalition for South Central Wisconsin . Donating food Food banks , pantries and kitchens generally welcome donations of fresh produce from community gardeners . However , it is important to check with them before making a delivery to determine their hours of operation and their capacity to handle fresh fruits and vegetables . For a listing of organizations and agencies in your area that accept food donations , search the Internet or check your local phone book . To become involved in a national effort to increase fresh produce donations to food banks , pantries and kitchens coordinated by the Garden Writer ' s Association , check out the Plant a Row for the Hungry program . Funding Often , little money is needed to start a community garden . However , it is helpful to think about potential expenses and create a simple budget to have an idea of the amount of money or materials needed for your project . Often , gardeners can sustain the garden themselves . They can either provide their own equipment and supplies or they can pool their money to purchase items as a group . In other cases , gardeners may seek donations of money or materials from community members , local organizations or businesses . Partnering organizations can sometimes cover the cost of water , insurance and other supplies . Grant opportunities also exist . For excellent coverage of the topic of fundraising , see the National Council of Nonprofit ' s " Fundraising " page . For information about funding , search the Web for " community garden grants ."
Liability insurance for community gardens In recent years , community gardens have come under increasing pressure to carry liability insurance . Although liability insurance can be quite expensive for individual gardens , larger organizations can often obtain policies for community gardens at a reasonable price or add them to an existing policy . For a more detailed discussion of this issue by Jack Hale , executive director of the Knox Parks Foundation , see " Insurance for Community Gardens " on the American Community Gardening Association ' s website . Starting a community gardening organization Once your garden is up and running , you may be interested in exploring the possibility of starting an organization to support community gardening in your area if one doesn ' t already exist . The feasibility of creating an organization will depend on how much demand exists for community gardens in your area and whether the resources can be pulled together to start a new organization . An alternative would be for an existing nonprofit to incorporate community gardens into its work . Policy and advocacy There are many resources concerning policy and advocacy on the " Advocacy " page of the American Community Gardening Association website . In addition , check out American Community Gardening Association ' s Community Greening Review , Volume 10 , 2000 , titled Making Policy : Steps Beyond the Physical Garden . The publication includes information about how to craft and use policies to support community gardens . It also includes information about how to lobby government officials . Also , Community Development Through Gardening : State and Local Policies Transforming Urban Open Space , a scholarly article by Jane E . Schukoske , contains research about the value of community gardens , legal issues faced by gardens and an evaluation and summary of state and local ordinances concerning community gardens .
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