Set up a community garden - advice from the Royal Horticultural Society

This Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) webpage provides an overview of the steps involved in setting up a community garden and includes links to more detailed information and document templates. It is a good place to start for information on many aspects of setting up a community garden.

The article starts from the initial steps of finding a location, engaging people in the project, thinking about fundraising and the timescale for setting up the garden. Considerations relating to designing the garden – its purpose(s) and who will use it, specific structures and how to make it sustainable are mentioned. Finally, the article suggests how to maintain the garden and record the garden’s development.

The article includes useful links to:

• ·other information available on the RHS website, e.g. creating living structures, growing plants in containers, promoting your project, fundraising,

• links to template documents, e.g. risk assessment, Community Group Privacy notice, Volunteer role description

• links to external websites are also included, e.g. for insurance, Charity Commission for registering your charity, Government website for safeguarding information

Further detailed information is to be found in Community Gardening Resources, with focuses on:

• getting volunteers and young people involved,

• organising specific events,

• growing fruit and vegetables and

• encouraging wildlife

Read the main article online here.