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..r ,,,. b. Security Invite the community officer from your local precinct to a garden meeting to get their suggestions on making the garden more secure. Community offic.ers can also be a great help in solving problems with garden vandalism, and dealing with drug dealers, and gang members in the area. c. Communication . Clear and well-enforced garden rules and a strong garden coordinator/committee can go a long way towards minimizing misunderstandings in the garden. But communication problems do azise. It's the job of the garden group to resolve those issues. If it's something not clearly spelled out in the rules, the membership can take a vote to add new rules and make modifications to existing rules. Language barriers are a very comrnon source of misunderstandings. Garden club leadership should make every effort to have a �ranslator at garden meetings where participants aze bilingual--perhaps a family member of one of the garden members who speaks the language will offer to help. d. Gardener Drop-Out There has been, and probabIy atways will 6e, some turnover in community gazdens. Often, people sign up for plots and then don't follow through. Remember, gardening is hazd work for some people, especially in the heat of summer. Be sure to have a clause in your gardener agreement which states gardeners forfeit their right to their plot if they don't plant it within one month, or if they don't maintain it. While gardeners should be given every opportunity to follow through, if after several reminders, either by letter or phone, nothing changes, it is time for the group to reassign the plot or open to someone on the waiting list. It is also advisable that every year, the leadership conduct a renewed community outreach campaign by contacting churches and other groups in the neighborhood to let them know about the garden and that plots are available. e. Trash It's important to get your compost system going right away and get some lraining for gardeners on how to use it. If gardeners don't compost, large quantities of waste will begin to build up, create an eyesore, and could hurt your relationships with neighbors and the property owner. Waste can also become a fire hazard. Make sure gardeners know how to sort trash properly, what to compost, and what to recycle. Trash cans placed in accessible azeas are helpful to keep a neat and tidy garden. f. Weeds Early in the season, it becomes clear which gardeners are having dif�culty tending to their plot. Be sure to address this concern with them early on and see if they want to share the plot or relinquish it to another gardener. Toward the end of summer, gardeners usually let the weeds go as their plants are typically established enough to contend with weeds. This is a good tirne to have a neighborhood event (such as the Parad� af Community Gardens} at Lhe garden, to �ncousage gardeners to tidy up the garden and their plots. Also, schedule garden workdays in advance since you know you'll need them at least once a month and at the end of the season to put the garden to bed for the winter. Encourage gardeners to apply a thick layer of mulch or hay to the beds and paths to reduce weed proliferation. Good luck with your community garden project! Gardening Matters 2801 21" Avenue South, Suite 110 Minneapolis, MN 55407 Phane: b22-278-7123 Fax: 612-278-7101 Email: info@Gazdening MattersMN.org Web: www.Gardening MattersMN.org (check monthly for updates) Email List: Email ta join the cammunity gardener listserv, COMGAR, hosted by UMN. ��... .,, t"r ,, �� I t I�. ... ti�-•i `��i'�� w��.gairdenin�mattcrx.orr 824