Questions to ask when starting a community garden

When undertaking to create a garden installation, we all want to dive right in and get some plants in the ground. However, before starting I wish more people would stop to ask some very important questions about the site.

Questions to ask:

·       What are the reasons for establishing this garden? Are there specific goals?

·       What is the budget? Who is paying for each item? Who is applying for grants?

·       Who is maintaining the garden forever? Is there a maintenance staff or a volunteer group? How much training do they need to do proper maintenance?

·       How many staff are on board? Are the people who will be using and maintaining the space all in agreement that this is what they want?

·       What signs will there be? How will visitors be educated about the garden?

·       What is the installation timeline? Is this a spring or fall planting? Does the installation need to be split into stages?

·       How will the garden be protected? Who is picking up litter? Is the garden used for dog walking? Will the garden be spared any future development? Is there a maintenance budget?

·       How will the garden be used? Will the visitors be returning often or infrequently? Does the garden need features like picnic tables, play space, bike lanes, etc? Should the garden be wheelchair accessible or are there any other accessibility requests?