Less than two weeks out from the 2nd Annual Parade of Community Gardens. This is an exciting time for all of us! 49 community gardens are participating -- celebrating the garden with neighbors and visitors alike! If you're interested in getting involved with a community garden or starting one for your neighborhood, it's a good time to check out what a community garden is and how different (yet alike) they can be. This is your opportunity to talk with the gardeners about what they've learned and what they like about the garden.

Starting a community garden...here's our top five recommendations!


1) Get a group together -- don't do it alone. Aim for at least ten people so that no-one person is tapped out.


2) Find the land -- give yourselves time to discover potential sites in the neighborhood and do some research about them. Keep in mind that land can be on private or public land, and not necessarily a vacant lot.


3) Talk to the neighbors -- see what they would like at the community garden. The garden will benefit by having neighbors and community involved in the planning stage as they will have their concerns addressed, and their wishes and needs incorporated into the overall design and function of the garden. The more the garden is tied into its community, the more sustainable it will be in the long-run and honor the hearts, aches and sweat of the people who have made it a success.


4) Make time for the planning process. No matter how you are itching to dig and haul, the more planning put into the garden, the more sustainable it will be! (hmmm, how many times can I say that)


5) Research, research, research. Take a group field trip to a couple gardens and see what they are doing. Check out GardenWorks online or the American Community Garden Association for info. Get on COMGAR, the local community gardener listserv (via GardenWorks website) and connect with hundreds of other gardeners. No need to reinvent the wheel! Learn from the people who have been there on what pitfalls to avoid and of opportunities to get off on a good foot!

OK, now, get thee to a community garden on August 18th from 10am-2pm. Four hours on a Saturday is not much time to check them all out, so plan ahead! Download the brochure (includes map!) and read about each of the participating gardens on the Parade webpage.

See you in the garden! Kirsten (GardenWorks manager)

Happy May Day! GardenWorks is now 18 months old! Unbelievable, how the time flies! We have worked with community gardeners to collect data on nearly 130 community gardens. COMGAR, the community gardener email list for the Twin Cities is over 300 folks. We've held two Community Garden Spring Resource Fairs, the first annual Parade of Community Gardens, and sent out three newsletters featuring gardeners voices, and established a website with an online Community Garden Directory -- and none of this would have happened if not for the amazing group of community gardeners who contribute their time, energy and enthusiasm.

Coming up --

• The Youth Urban Gardeners Network, a network of folks working with youth in garden settings
• COMGAR Cultivators, Ramsey and Hennepin County Master Gardeners who are available to answer questions and provide advice on gardening within the community in our Twin Cities.
  
• Mini-grant program for community gardeners -- financial resources to help each garden group achieve long-term sustainability in any variety of ways.
  

Check our website for resources and to learn about community gardens in the Twin Cities metro area! www.gardenworksmn.org

See you in the garden! Kirsten (GardenWorks, program manager)