Starting a Community Garden
"Smart Start" your community garden for long-term sustainability. Give yourself time to fully plan for the garden -- our Start-Up Basics gives an overview of the process. The Community Garden Start-Up Guide (1.7MB) provides step-by-step instructions with worksheets to help groups get started in developing a successful community garden. Contact us with specific questions.

Compost for Community Gardens

• Residents of Ramsey County can pick up compost at any of their compost sites for free. Delivery is free to community gardens in Ramsey County during the month of April, but it is based on available supply of compost and delivery trucks.
• Compost is available to Community Gardens in Minneapolis thanks to the Department of Solid Waste each spring. Registration is now closed for 2009.
• If your community garden is not in Ramsey County or Minneapolis, contact your City or County to see if they they provide compost to your Community Garden or know of a similar resource.

Managing Your Garden's Waiting List
Learn how your waiting list can increase community support for the garden and possibly help to establish another community garden

St. Paul Water Hydrant Policies
Good-to-know information if your garden wants to hook to a hydrant for water access.

Event Organizer 101
12 Steps for organizing a community event - big or small - so that it can be fun for everyone; planners, volunteers and participants!

Community Garden Rules
A menu of options from the numerous community gardeners (primarily local) who shared their gardener rules with us. See what others have developed and what you can incorporate into your own gardener agreement. To see a gardener agreement form, visit the Dowling Community Garden Rules.

Community Garden Job Descriptions
Sharing responsibility for the care of the community garden makes work light! Sometimes folks don't know how to pitch in or don't see what needs to be done. Here is a menu of options compiled from local Twin Cities community gardens that you can use to help your fellow gardeners get more involved in the care of the garden. For a list of job descriptions for one garden, visit the Dowling Community Garden job descriptions

Liability Insurance
American Community Gardening Association’s Jack Hale explains what liability insurance is, what it covers and why your garden needs it. However, you don't necessarily need to buy insurance on your own, check out these suggestions on alternative sources for liability insurance.

Growing Communities Workshop Curriculum
Get the comprehensive curriculum with lots of great organizing tools and techniques tailored to meet the needs of community gardeners.  The curriculum was developed by the American Community Gardening Association over the last 25 years by experienced community garden leaders from around the nation.  Gardening Matters also has several copies on hand and available for purchase.

Boston Natural Areas Network, Organizing Tips
Terrific tipsheets including topics, such as Garden Leadership, Health and Safety in the Community Garden, Ten Basic Citywide Garden Rules, Community Garden Leader's Month-By-Month Task Organizer, Balance Sheet – Community Garden Record Keeping, Community Garden Maintenance Activity Schedule, Essential Components of a Successful Community Garden, Making the Most of Meetings

Community Garden Organizer’s Handbook - Madison, Wisconsin
This 2006 handbook has been prepared to help community garden volunteer organizers manage their gardens. With over two dozen documents, this collection of information represents the work of community gardeners in Wisconsin and is a great resource for gardeners everywhere.  With a few exceptions, documents are provided in both fixed (Adobe) and editable (Word) formats, so you may use them as-is, or change them for your purposes.