Nuts and Bolts of Planning a
Community Garden
Presented by Lauren Maul and
Hannah Reinhart of
Gateway Greening
July 14, 2009
About Gateway Greening

History
Founded in 1986 as an all volunteer organization and has grown into a
fully-staffed community non-profit offering a diverse range of programs
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Mission
Our mission is to contribute to neighborhood vitality and stability through
community food projects, education and wellness programs, and civic
greening. We accomplish this mission by forming alliances with non-profit
organizations, faith based institutions, institutions of higher learning and
neighborhood groups to provide resources for citizen-managed open
spaces that encourage healthier, safer and more enriched lives.

Shift to health & wellness, food security
Access by all people at all times to enough food for an active, healthy life.
Food security includes at a minimum: 1) ready availability of nutritionally
adequate and safe foods, and 2) an assured ability to acquire acceptable
foods in socially acceptable ways. (USDA). See www.foodsecurity.org for
more information.
Fundraising
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What data we collect & Why we need it
# of Gardeners: We report the total # of community gardeners for in grant
reports and future grant proposal. Great indicator of who we serve.
Age of Gardeners: City and State funding requires we target senior
populations.
#s of Produce Grown: Missouri Foundation for Health report, future
proposals, six site research study on health effects of community gardens
# of Vegetable & Ornamental Beds, Size of Garden Space: Gauges
overall impact of community gardens in St. Louis
Parcel ID#, Census Tract, Neighborhood, Ward: used to find resources,
including organizations, alderpersons, and in the development of maps

The Bottom Line
The data helps us to raise funds which in turn allows us to continue to
support community garden projects. Accountability to donors is key!
Where does our funding come from?
2007 Revenue: $742,218
Urban Roots
8%
In Kind Gifts
and Services
9%
Government
Grants
16%
Individual
support
31%
Special Events
8%
Foundation
and Corporate
28%
2007 Expenses: $715,328
6%
7%
Program Services
87%
Management and
General
Fund Raising
Neighborhood Greening Program
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Annual grant application through which we
select community gardening projects to be
developed or expanded
No cookie cutter garden! Projects may
include community vegetable gardens, pocket
parks, street entrances or any other creative
design developed by the neighborhood group.
Selection process requires that groups be
committed to creating a successful,
manageable urban greening project over the
long term.
Neighborhood Greening Program
Selected projects are based on need and
supported with materials (NOT money)
costing in the range of $1,000-$3,500
 While there is no geographic eligibility,
projects are generally in underserved
areas.
 Now in its 25th year, GGI has supported
over 170 community and school gardens,
more than 150 of which remain active.
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22nd Ward Garden – 63112
4200 Castleman Garden – 63110
4200 Flad Cul-de-Sac - 63110
ABCDE Garden - 63113
Aboussie Park - 63118
Afton-Lindberg Early Childhood Education School – 63128 
Ames VPA Butterfly Garden - 63107
Baden Triumph Garden - 63147
Bayless School Garden - 63123
Bell Community and Demonstration Garden - 63108
Benton Park West Neighborhood Association Garden - 63118
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Blessings and Glory/Christ Community UMC Garden - 63121
Block Unit 1 Garden - 63108
Block Unit 429 - 63112
Block Unit 472/Penrose Self-Reliant Garden - 63115
Block Unit 1024 Greening - 63115
Block Unit 1035 Community Garden - 63112
Bolden Community Garden - 62205
Botanical Avenue Community Garden - 63110
Botanical Heights Community Garden - 63110
Buder Elementary - 63074
Burning Kumquat - 63105
Citizens for the Advancement of Normandy (CAN) - 63121
Carondelet Community Garden - 63111
Carver House Garden - 63106
Cathedral Basilica School - 63108
Center for Hope Ministries Garden - 63113
Central Reform Congregation - 63108
City Garden Montessori - 63110
City Greens /Midtown Catholic Charities - 63110
Clark School/Cabanne Block Unit - 63113
Clay School Garden - 63107
Clemens Community Garden - 63130
Clifton McLaran Community Garden - 63136
Colibri Garden - 63104
Columbia CEC Garden - 63106
Columbus Square / Filipiac Park - 63106
Compton Place & Pillar Place/ Intercommunity Housing - 63104
Cote Brilliante School/Ville Market Place -63113
Crown Center for Senior Living - 63124
DeSales Community Garden - 63104
Dogtown Community Garden - 63139
Don Earl Early Childhood Garden - 63010
East Warne Inner City Christian Church Garden - 63107
Earthdance - 63135
Echo Children’s Home Garden - 63115
Eliot Chapel Nursery School - 63122
English Cave - 63118
Etzel Community Garden - 63112
Flad & Grand, Russell & Grand Gardens - 63110
Flynn Park School Garden - 63130
Ford School/ Miss Ellen’s Garden - 63112
Fountain Park Community Garden - 63108
Fox Park Farm - 63104
Fox Park Park - 63104
Frieden’s Neighborhood Foundation - 63107
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Friends of Hamilton Village - 63112
Friends of Soldiers’ Memorial - 63103
Garden of Courage College Hill - 63107
Gardeners at St. Stephen’s - 63108
Garden of Eatin’ - 63112
Gallaudet School Garden - 63104
Gateway Elementary and Middle School Garden 63106
Geyer & Mississippi Community Garden - 63104
Grace Hill Head Start Howard Branch Garden 63106
Grace Hill Settlement House - 63107
Gundlach Elementary School Garden - 63120
Hamilton Heights Garden - 63112
Hartford Place Garden - 63118
Haven of Grace Garden - 63106
Hebert Street Community Garden - 63107
Herbert Hoover Boys & Girls Club - 63107
Heritage House - 63103
Hodgen School/ Gate District Garden - 63104
Hodiamont Community Garden - 63136
Holly Hills Community Garden - 63116
Holly Hills Parkway Greening - 63116
Holy Trinity School Garden - 63107
Hope Square Community Garden - 63112
Imagine Academy of Careers Elementary - 63118
Imagine College Prep//Downtown Childrens’ Center 63103
Indiana Tender Garden - 63118
International Institute Garden - 63118
Jamison Memorial Methodist Church Garden 63103
Jefferson Avenue Median Greening - 63104
Juanita Park - 63110
Kabot Farm House Community Garden - 63106
Karen House Community Garden - 63101
Kennard CJA School Garden - 63116
Lady of Wells Community Garden - 63112
Lafayette Square Community Garden - 63104
Lafayette Square Park Conservancy - 63104
Lewis Place Community Garden - 63113
Maffitt Cabbage Patch - 63112
Mallard Drive Community Garden - 63133
Mann Elementary School Garden - 63116
Mark Twain Community Alliance Garden - 63115
Maplewood Richmond Heights ECC - 63143
Maryland-Boyle Garden - 63108
Maryville Gardens Senior Apartments - 63111
Mayberry Community Garden - 63112
McPherson Community Garden - 63112
Meramec Heights Elementary Garden - 63010
Metro Village Apartments Garden - 63106
Missouri School for the Blind Garden - 63110
Monsanto YMCA ECEC - 63112
Mount Pleasant Community Garden - 63111
Mullanphy School Garden - 63110
Neighborhood Garden of Pride - 63115
Neighborhood Pride Garden - 63118
New City School Garden - 63108
New Roots Urban Farm - 63106
Oak Hill School Garden - 63131
O’Fallon Block Unit 1274 Garden - 63115
Old North St. Louis Garden - 63107
Our Neighborhood Garden - 63118
Our Savior Lutheran School Garden - 63026
Palm Street Tree and Flower Garden - 63107
Partners Against Crime Garden - 63114
Riverview Gardens High School - 63137
Rodgers Middle School Garden - 63123
Sacred Heart School - 63031
Salem-in-Ballwin UMC - 63011
Seeds of Change Community Garden - 63107
Shaw/DeTonty Garden - 63110
Shaw Neighborhood Dog Park - 63110
Shaw Neighborhood Garden Club’s Dorothy Park 63110
Shaw VPA CEC School Garden - 63139
Shining Rivers School - 63143
Simpson Elementary School Garden - 63010
Sloan Memorial Garden - 63108
Soulard Community Garden - 63104
Soulard Restoration Garden - 63104
Soulard School - 63104
Southside Wellness Garden - 63104
Southview School - 63126
Southwest Garden Neighborhood - 63110
Spanish Lake Community Garden - 63138
St. Louis Catholic Academy - 63115
St. Louis Friends Meeting - 63104
St. Mark’s Church - 63137
St. Mary Magdalen School Garden - 63144
St. Pius V Parish Garden - 63118
Steger Sixth Grade Center - 63119
Stix ECC School Garden - 63110
Stonewalls Garden/Froggy Park - 63118
Syracuse Community Garden - 63130
Tilles Park Neighborhood Garden - 63139
Tower Grove East Community Garden - 63104
Truman Parkway Greening - 63104
Twillman House Community Garden - 63138
Under the Oak/St. Matt’s Community Garden 63113
Vito’s Community Garden - 63130
Washington Street Garden – 63108
Wayside Community Garden (CAN) 63121
Webster/Rock Hill Community Garden – 63119
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Wedgewood Bath and Tennis Club - 63031
West Corner Community Garden - 63118
Western Lutheran Cemetary - 63115
William Clay Sr. Leisure Living Community 63112
Woman Spirit, Inc. Garden - 63136
WOMB Community Garden - 63107
Wyman School Garden - 63104
Wyvetter Young Middle School - 62204
2009 new projects in bold
2009 expansion projects underlined
 Indicates Ornamental garden
 Indicates School garden
 Indicates Vegetable garden
 Indicates Faith-based garden
Each garden is as unique as the individuals
who create them. A vegetable garden,
ornamental area, boulevard planting, or a
gathering place, these gardens offer food for
the table and food for the soul.
The Neighborhood Greening Application:
A case study in how to start a community garden project

Any community greening or gardening
project consists of three basic elements:
A
group of neighbors
A site selection
A site plan
A Group of Neighbors
Group guidelines and considerations:
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Start with at least ten adults from at least five
households. (Kids are great but cannot build and
maintain your project alone!)
Who are the people in your group?
Homeowners? Long-term residents?
Need a mix of ages and sexes. Different
people bring different assets to a garden project.
What is the nature of the group? Newly
formed? Long-standing?
How much gardening experience does the
group have? It will need at least one or two
experienced members.
Group guidelines and considerations:
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What is the group’s motivation? Take the
time to outline the group’s goals and
communicate so all members are on the same
page.
How many hrs/wk can group members give
for the project? Is the group committed to
spending necessary time over the long run?
Does the group have tools? Is it taking
initiative to source them?
Does the group have a central location to
store tools where they will be accessible to all
members?
A Site Selection
Site selection considerations:
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Select a location. Start with vacant lots.
Who owns the lot? St. Louis has Adopt-a-Lot program
for city-owned vacant properties.
If lot is privately owned, who owns it? If a church,
school, municipality or long-time resident, this may be fine.
If someone else owns it, the project may not be viable over
time, and the group needs to determine the motivation of
the landowner.
Size of lot. Is the area primarily residential or
commercial? Is it necessary to present formal plans to area
businesses?
Potential use of lot. What would be the best use of the
site? Are there other plans being developed?
Site selection considerations:
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What is the present use of the lot? Ask neighbors
about the lot’s history. If problems exist, be prepared for
them to continue.
Visibility. Highly visible lots tend to have a higher success
rate—More people know about the project, there is more
neighborhood support and more dramatic neighborhood
improvement.
Access to water. Where is the water source? A
neighbor? Adjacent buildings? Fire hydrants? How far
away?
Amount of sun. Six hours of direct sunlight are
recommended for most plantings.
Access for trucks? Through an alley? Easy truck access
makes it easier to receive deliveries of soil, mulch and
compost.
Site Plan
Site plan considerations:
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Site plan. The plan should be appropriate for the site and
for the group that will plant and maintain the project.
Always start with a small success. When a group is new,
baby steps can make a big impact!
The planning process. Encourage long-term involvement
by including as many group members as possible in the
project planning.
The plan can be simply grand, but not fancy. Start with
a drawing of the lot as it exists now, including dimensions
and existing landscape and infrastructure, and sketch
where future beds will be placed.
Maintaining a greening project is hard work! On
average, it takes about two hrs/wk to properly care for an
adopted plot—plus more for communal space! If the group
doesn’t want to commit that much time, start small.
Neighborhood Greening Program
Expectations
Once these three basic elements are in place, groups MUST:
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develop a realistic long term plan by outlining garden features to be installed over
several years;
create a project with impact on the neighborhood and visibility to passers-by;
provide volunteer support and labor needed to maintain the project, including
planting, watering, and weeding, throughout the season and upcoming years;
ensure that the project is self-sufficient by the end of the season; and
In return, Gateway Greening will offer resources to greening groups,
including:
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assistance with project planning, coordination and installation;
plant materials, soil amendments and mulch;
opportunity for yearly expansion projects;
technical assistance such as garden visits, educational workshops and mailers; and
on-going technical support provided at the Bell Garden
Timing is Everything!
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Application requests are recorded year-round
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Applications become available annually in late summer
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Proposals DUE second Friday of November
November - February
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Selection Process: A selection committee of Gateway Greening staff and Master
Gardeners/volunteers reviews applications. Each group is assigned a committee member.
December - January
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Group Site Visits: Committee members visit garden sites and meet groups.
Entire groups should be there to discuss the garden and its design.
February
March – May
June - October
November
Announcement of selected projects and awards ceremony
Project Implementation
Site visits and tours
New and Expansion Applications due for next year’s projects
Neighborhood Greening
Application Checklist
 Neighborhood
Greening Grant
Application
 Garden Calendar
 Project Sketch
 Signature Sheet of gardeners
 Letter of Support
 Photos of how the project area looks
now
NG Application Part One:
Garden Leader Contact Information
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GGI requires the
contact information of
two Garden Leaders.
Garden Leaders are
actively responsible
for managing
maintenance of the
garden and serve as
the main contact for
GGI about garden
resources and events.
NG Application Part Two:
Community Involvement
“Tell us about your group. Include when,
where and why you formed.”
 “Describe your group’s experience with
gardening and beautification projects.”
 “Identify organizations, community service
agencies, local businesses, block units,
neighborhood associations, youth groups,
etc., that will support your project. How
so?”
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NG Application Part Two:
Community Involvement
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“How will the two garden leaders organize and
communicate with other gardeners to accomplish your
goals?” (e.g. Will you and who will be having group
meetings and workdays, taking meeting minutes and
maintaining a gardener roster? Will you and who will be
communicating notification of meetings/workdays and
resources available through GGI?)
“Do you have guidelines and/or rules for participation,
behavior and maintenance of the garden? If so, please
provide a copy. If not, do you plan to in the future?”
“What is your process for choosing new leadership should
there be a change, i.e. the garden leader moves away?”
NG Application Part Three:
Project Goals
 “How
do you hope your greening
project will add to the community
and/or how will it benefit
participants?”
 “What type and length of
commitment is your group making to
the greening project? Once
established, what are your future
plans for the garden?”
NG Application Part Four:
Project Needs & Resources
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“This section is your opportunity to request specific hardscape items, plant
material and tools needed as well as tell us about existing resources.”
“Please choose the kind of greening project you
would like to have in your neighborhood.”
 Vegetable
 Ornamental
 Pocket Park
 Medians/Street Entrances
 Street Planters
 Tree Plantings
 Other
Vegetable Community Garden
McPherson CG
Lettuce at Hodiamont
Ornamental Community Garden
Pocket Park Community Garden
Medians and Street Entrances
Street Planters
Natural Bridge Before & After
NG Project Needs & Resources:
Infrastructure
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“List and describe the long-term
hardscape needs of your project.”
(Specifying qty. and size)
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Raised bed
Berm
Planter
Table
Bench
Other (e.g. pavilion, fence, sign, waterline,
arbor, hoop house, tool shed, compost bin
system, bulletin board, etc.)
On Installation Day…
Garden Sign & Berms at Mayberry
Planter in Normandy, MO
Pavilion at Maffitt Cabbage Patch
Our Neighborhood
Garden After
Now well-used tool shed at
Hamilton Heights
Bulletin Board at Clifton-McLaran
Compost
& Mulch
City Seeds clients sow veggie seedlings
NG Application Part Four:
Project Needs & Resources cont.
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“List and describe the landscape needs of your
project such as plants and trees.”
(NOTE: Perennials are distributed during GGI’s annual
Great Perennial Divide, but this provides groups seeking
annuals or large quantities of specific plants an opportunity
to request them; Plus it’s an exercise in garden planning.)
“Tools. Below is a list of the basic tools that any
group needs to maintain a greening project.
Please indicate how many of these tools your
group currently has and how many additional
tools you think you will need for this project.”
(Tools: Hand tools, sprinkler, shovels, rakes,
hoes, cultivators, wheelbarrow, hoses, other)
NG Application Part Four:
Project Needs & Resources cont.
“Describe plans for tool storage and how
group members will gain access to them.”
 “What other resources can your group
bring to the project (ex. Neighbor who can
loan a truck, relative at construction
company that can donate equipment,
contact at local nursery)?”
 “Do you have a budget for your garden?
If so, what is it?”
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NG Application Part Five:
Site Background
“Who owns the land?”
 “Where is the water source?”
 “What is the lot size in sq. ft.?”
 “Can you see your proposed project from
the street?”
 “What is the current use of this site?” Are
you aware of any development plans?”
 “What is the current state of the site? Are
there weeds, trees, garbage, large
objects, playground equipment, etc.?”
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Additional
Considerations
•Making
the
garden
accessible to
members with
special needs
(e.g. ADA beds,
table at
Southview,
sensory garden at
MO School for the
Blind, etc.)
Funding Ideas
Community-based funds through
community development block funds, local
companies and foundations, neighborhood
associations and garden clubs
 Independent fundraising through member
dues and special events (e.g. plant sale)
 Competitive grants (e.g. Fiskars Project
Orange Thumb for tools and
infrastructure; National Gardening
Association for money)
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Preservation of the Garden
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Land owner agreement or copy of LRA lease must
be submitted in writing with NG grant
Established gardens threatened by development
are invited to join the GGI Land Trust, a
subsidiary nonprofit
To do so, they must:
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Purchase the land at the market price
Appoint two permanent garden leaders
Sign an agreement promising to remain a CG, or else
land with revert to the city
Pay a portion of $250 liability insurance, currently split
between three gardens, with the goal of adding more
Lafayette Square and Soulard
Dogtown Community Garden
Insurance Considerations
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LRA (St. Louis city) holds
itself harmless from any
action, damages, liability and
expenses which arise out of or
are in any manner related to
the Lessee’s use of the
property.
NG applicants are not
required to provide proof of
insurance.
Gardens may independently
pursue insurance coverage
through an affiliate group,
such as a Neighborhood
Association.
Initial Harvest, West Corner Community Garden