Call your local extension office to see if they have an active master gardening program. Those who go through the program might be a good start.

Hello!
My husband and I were very instrumental starting the Beverly Bootstraps Community Garden. Would be great if your community have a community food pantry, in our community Beverly Bootstraps is the food pantry is our sponsor for the gardens. Once we met with the community outreach person within the food pantry, we then went to the City in this case, to inquary about the open spaces that were avialable that belong to the City, then we looked up when the commitee that manage these spaces had a public meeting and the outreach person for the food pantry wrote a letter / petition to ask for the usage of this land if you will. We then prepare a site map, illustrating the gardens with its entrance water supply, gardeners gathering area, and took it to the meeting with us to present our proposal. The only concern from the City was the abuters for this precise space, and they were invited to have an input to this date we have 2 abuters gardening! We are now in our 9 year and it has been great to be able to grow our own produce, to share our surplus with the pantry, we also have garden space designated and tended by fellow gardenrs where we grow produce for the food pantry, including a pumpkin patch, we also have a flower patch where we grow cut flowers, for the anual farmers market where all fellow gardenrs participate one way or another by baking, crafting, or arrangeing flowers, lst year we raised 825.00 in one day. Take a tour of Boston Natural Areas Network website .. they are in Boston and advocate for Community Gardens and open space.

Feel free to comment or E-mail for more detail information once you have the time

Be well,

The American Community Gardening Association website has an excellent write-up on how to stqrt a community garden.

Their website is www.communitygarden.org.

Good luck!