Digging into Community Gardening

Natasha Nicholes from We Sow We Grow shares advice on how to get involved with community gardening. 

Let me tell you something I wish someone had told me before I started digging in the dirt: community gardens are not just about growing food. They’re about growing people. And if you’ve been thinking about getting involved with one in your neighborhood, I want to encourage you to stop thinking and start doing.

Here’s how.

Step 1: Show up first, ask questions second.

The best thing you can do is physically go to the garden. Walk the beds. Watch who’s there. Introduce yourself. Most community gardens are run by real people with real schedules, not a customer service line. Your presence tells them you’re serious before you ever fill out a form.

Step 2: Find out who’s actually in charge.

This sounds simple, but it matters. Some gardens are city-managed. Some are nonprofit-led. Some are neighbor-organized with a group text and good intentions. Knowing the structure tells you how decisions get made and where you can plug in, whether that’s volunteering, renting a plot, or joining a committee.

Step 3: Ask what they actually need.

Don’t assume the answer is just “more volunteers on Saturdays.” Community gardens need people with skills: grant writers, photographers, people who can fix a fence, folks who know how to reach families in the neighborhood. Your gifts are useful. Bring them.

Step 4: Start before you feel ready.

You don’t need to know how to grow anything to get involved. I say this as someone who learned most of what I know by doing it wrong first. Get your hands in the soil. Ask the person next to you what they’re planting. Learn as you go. That’s the whole point.

Step 5: Bring your people.

Seriously. Don’t come alone. Bring your kids, your neighbor, your church group, your coworkers. Community gardens grow stronger when they actually reflect the community they’re in. Your people belong there, too.

The garden doesn’t need you to be an expert. It needs you to be present. So find the one closest to you, introduce yourself, and see what grows from there.

Learn more about community gardening in the Chicago area at www.wesowwegrow.org.

Want to start your own garden at home? Read our Gardening in Illinois: A Guide to Getting Started and grow with confidence this season!