[Community_garden] FIrst steps to setting up community garden

[yarrow at sfo.com]

What city? (I'm in Palo Alto.) If you're near here, find out if the 
Valley of Heart's Delight project has any info on people with whom 
you could network, or contact Common Ground Garden Supply -- they 
used to have a list of local organic gardening groups. Does your 
community have a local newspaper or an online community bulletin 
board? Write a story or offer to be interviewed on why your community 
should have a community garden, and schedule a community meeting to 
see who else is interested. Find out if the UC Extension 
master-gardener program in your county is able to help you find other 
interested gardeners. Go anywhere people meet and put up flyers -- 
cafes, libraries, etc. Some churches have land that is being used for 
temporary community gardens, though you may have to find a member to 
use their land. Many high schools have service clubs that could 
donate lots of labor once you do find a site. (ANd if there isn't a 
community gardening merit badge for scouts, there should be one.) Are 
there any locally owned small nurseries in your area? Those are the 
places where gardeners would be most likely to go.
Good luck!
Tanya




At 6:01 PM -0800 11/28/07, Dwight wrote:
>I'm trying to get a community garden set up in my
>city.  There's none in this city, nor the two adjacent
>cities, though 20 miles away, San Jose, CA has about
>25 community gardens.
>
>I've talked to someone in city government, who was not
>discouraging, but said there is not a garden because
>no one has expressed an interest.  He advised me to
>drum up support and get back to him.
>
>I'm trying to do that, but I'm wondering how to go
>about doing it.  I went to two local big box hardware
>stores, who would stand to make money from people
>buying gardening supplies, but both said they don't
>put of flyers, etc.
>
>So, I guess I could lower my sights, but any tips on
>how to get this going would be helpful.
>
>Dwight
>
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