Starting a Community Garden

Photo credit: Openlands

Chicago has over 600 active community gardens and many of these have available space and need volunteers. These gardens have worked out quite a lot of the hard stuff; getting started, securing the land, finding resources, etc… Click on the link to Finding a Community Garden first.

If you are committed to starting a new garden there are many resources available to Chicago’s community gardeners through GreenNet programs and the programs of GreenNet members.

1. Start by identifying the piece of land that you have in mind; be it a vacant lot, an unused school yard, a community center, a parkway or whatever. Chicago Parks are making space available too. Find out more at Chicago Parks District.

2. Then identify the necessary commitment you are going to be making. You will need volunteers, materials, land, tools, security, partners, and, of course, patience. Most organizations that can offer assistance will request that you have at least a three-year commitment to the garden and multiple volunteers (community) on board.

3. Most projects are spearheaded by one or two individuals. While many tasks may be accomplished this way, the most successful gardens will have an equitable team working together to make decisions and accomplish tasks on the garden. Not only does this build relationships and community, it provides longevity and sustainability for the garden. Garden stewards may move away, change jobs or fall ill and the garden will be left without leadership. Community gardens should add owners / stewards as they grow and mature rather than rely on a single leader.

If you have these bases covered then you can start to answer questions like these:

• Do you know who owns it?
• Will the owner let you garden the site for at least three years?
• Are there safety concerns on the site?
• Will you limit access to the garden?
• Do you have access to water?
• Who will help monitor the site?
• What kind of garden will it be?

If you are undaunted by these questions and look forward to the challenge of these issues, then approach one of the members of GreenNet for assistance in getting started with programs such as University of Illinois – Master Gardeners, Greencorps Chicago, or Openlands.

The American Community Gardening Association has a wonderful step-by-step guide for starting a community garden:

• American Community Gardening Association: Starting a Community Garden