Running A Community Garden

The Garden Coordinator reports to the Organizing Committee. This individual (or committee) is responsible for the every day workings in the garden itself and ensures the directives of the membership is complied by the members.

She/he may perform all of these duties, or work with committees to accomplish the following tasks:

• Represent the community garden at events and media opportunities
• Ensure the garden by-laws are respected by gardeners and volunteers
• Supervise planting, maintenance, and clean up of site
• Maintain outbuildings, outdoor signs, tools and equipment

The Organizing Committee or Garden coordinator should be considered a resource to gardeners, assisting them with:

• Planning of the physical project site
• Planting, maintenance, harvesting if they are unable to do so
• Responding to the questions and concerns of gardeners and volunteers
• Mediating disputes between gardeners, reporting/getting approval from the organizing committee
• Providing horticultural information
• Arranging for local experts as a resource to horticultural information/provide training on members' topics of interest
• Recruiting volunteers and developing volunteer skills set
• Evaluating, defining, and implementing volunteer duties and responsibilities
• Developing, when possible the purchase/donation sources for seeds, plants, mulch, lumber, soil, soil amendments, and other items required by the project throughout the season
• Recording and regularly reporting to the organizing committee:

• • a garden progress report (written and photographic)
  • money dispersal (if applicable)
  • special activities
  • challenges and successes

• Assisting sub-committees in carrying out projects
• Coordinating and supervising special work projects
• Encouraging events that will network and build relationships with other organizations, communities, media, individuals that can offer support to the garden