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USDA. Natural Resources Conservation Service.
A collection of guides to support community gardeners in planning and developing their gardens and extending the growing season. Includes the Community Garden Guide: Vegetable Garden Planning and Development [PDF].
University of Missouri. Extension Service.
A guide to planning, starting and sustaining a community gardening project. Identifies
questions to ask and things to consider when getting started.
CDC. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.
Toolkit for urban farmers and communities to plan soilSHOP events for soil testing for lead, education about safe gardening practices, and outreach to prevent lead exposure.
University of California. Cooperative Extension Service. Los Angeles County.
Guide to help neighborhood groups and organizations along the path to starting and sustaining a community garden.
Soil Science Society of America.
This guide to community gardens covers organizing a garden, location and landowner considerations in site selection, garden design, decisions related to building the garden, and soil amendments.
USDA. National Agricultural Library.
Search for community gardening in NAL's AGRICOLA database. Select "Format" to limit results. Use WorldCat to find titles in a library near you.
ChangeLab Solutions.
Toolkit providing legal resources and information in plain language to support landowners, sponsoring organizations, and gardeners in “establishing community gardens on vacant or underutilized parcels of land.”
Includes model lease, gardener’s agreement, and garden rules, as well as discussion checklists.
USDA. Food and Nutrition Service.
Tips for every stage of the garden, from site selection and materials to harvesting and accepting donations.
Though designed with school gardens in mind, covers many issues also applicable to community gardens.
American Community Gardening Association.
Fact sheets, contacts, links, reports and a discussion group that assist in starting, finding and researching community gardens. See Resources for Tools and Community Garden Start-Up Guides.
American Horticultural Society.
After an intensive training program, Master Gardeners volunteer in communities, providing advice to local gardeners and support for gardening efforts. Use the map to find Master Gardening programs in your state.