Promoting A Community Garden
Inform your neighbours and community about the garden: what you are doing and why. This is an important part of your plan to start a community garden since you want to engage the community and gain their ongoing support for the sustainability of the project. Consider the following:
- Invitations to participate in the planning process
- Educate who the gardens are for and how the community can participate (as a volunteer, gardener, sponsor).
- Always acknowledge your sponsors
A great way to promote your garden is in your Community League paper (if applicable) and online through a facebook page or even a simple website. Or consider developing your own online newsletter for your garden community that can be distributed to anyone interested in your garden either as a gardener themselves or as supporters along the sidelines.
Garden Signage
- Encourage children to put up a sign on their garden plot
- Signage at families/individual plots will encourage pride and ownership. It may also reinforce regular maintenance of individual plots if their family name is displayed alongside
- General signage such as: Children's Gardens, Herb Garden, etc. inform passers-by, and can be an educational tool.
- Labeling the herbs in the herb garden will help your gardeners to identify plants and perhaps encourage cooking with them
- Consider ‘Grow a Row' signage or a sign reading “If you need vegetables, please join our community garden. If you need food today, then please pick from this plot only.’
