How will the garden run?

Decisions that need to be made with the participation of the gardeners

· Will the harvest belong to the gardener or will it be shared communally or will it go to a food bank or other organization?

· How will plots be assigned (by family size, by residency, by need, by group-- i.e., youth, elderly, etc.)?

· Will there be a fee for the plots? How much and what services, if any, will be provided to gardeners in return?

· It is a very good idea to draw up a set of written rules which gardeners are expected to uphold. The gardeners should participate in deciding the rules & means of enforcing them and everyone should be given a written copy of the rules.

· Will the group do certain things cooperatively or will the management provide ongoing services (such as turning in soil in the spring, planting cover crops, or composting)?

· When someone leaves a plot, how will the next tenant be chosen?

· How will the group deal with possible vandalism?

· Will there be a children's plot?

· Will there be a garden committee?

· Will there be a garden coordinator & how will this person be chosen?

· Will the gardeners meet regularly? If so, how often and for what purposes?

· Will gardeners share tools, hoses, and other such items?

· How will minimum maintenance (especially weeding) be handled both inside plots and in common areas (such as along fences, in flower beds, and in sitting areas)?

· Will the garden be organic (no chemical pesticides or fertilizers)?

· Will there be any plants that should not be grown?