Educating & Furthering the Potential of School & Community Gardens

The goal of the Marin Master Gardener Community Garden Committee is to help the current community gardens of Marin remain viable assets to their communities, while assisting future garden development to enable the healthy benefits of gardening are available throughout the county. 

Our garden consultants can help you:

• Evaluate your garden site
• Advise on garden needs (tools, irrigation, fencing, storage etc.)
• Offer suggestions on bed size and soil preparation
• Recommend plant material based on the goals of your garden
• Help you establish compost or worm bins
• Answer your garden and bug questions.

While we don’t provide labor, we are happy to to provide garden-related demonstrations to gardeners and volunteers to help develop their skills to meet gardening needs.

What constitutes a community garden?

A community garden is any piece of land gardened by a group of people, utilizing either individual or shared plots on private or public land. The land may produce fruit, vegetables, and/or ornamentals. Community gardens may be found in neighborhoods, schools, connected to institutions such as hospitals, and on residential housing grounds.

Why start a community garden?

• Provide additional food security: Many families without adequate space to garden at home may grow fruits, vegetables, herbs, as well as flowers 
• Beautify neighborhoods and help bring neighbors closer together
• Reduce neighborhood crime--particularly when vacant, blighted lots are targeted for garden development 
• Provide safe, recreational green space in urban areas with little or no park land
• Increase environmental health, education and awareness
• Increasing nearby home and commercial property values
• Grow an extra row for those in need

Policies around starting a community garden

This Urban Agriculture Policy Guide is intended to provide a high‐level summary of the numerous ordinances and requirements in various communities and jurisdictions across Marin related to gardening and farming in city limits, including for commercial sales. The guide serves two purposes – one is to provide a reference for community members interested in pursuing any number of agricultural practices. The second is to showcase the range of policies so that a town, agency, or community that is interested in adopting more specific ordinances in support of urban agriculture can see what other communities are doing. Since ordinances and regulations change regularly, always confirm with your local agency before acting.

How to Start & Maintain a School Garden

How to Start & Maintain a Community Garden