Community Garden Project
Marmora, NJ
Community Garden
Industry: community
Approach: waterfall
Project Length: 6 months
Project Team: church members, volunteers, project manager
January 9, 2023
June 30, 2023
Vision
To build a garden from the ground up that will serve as a community garden.
Strengths
The projects strengths come from the church's support, united culture, wide range of skills, and the specific interest of select members.
Opportunity
Increasing church member interaction and building connections in the community are the most important opportunities.
Threat
Volunteer projects are unpredictable as is gardening. The projects is heavily dependent on volunteer time, attainable materials, fundraising/donation, and weather.
Weakness
The church membership largely consist of retirees who would only be able to participate in tending an already cultivated garden. The remaining portion of the membership is limited to late evenings and possibly Sundays.
Project Scope
solicit interest for building a community garden
plan the layout and contents of the garden
collect materials for building a garden
coordinate building days
plant
cultivate
harvest
Project Approach
The waterfall approach was used for this project. After each completed milestone, the next milestone and its tasks were evaluated and adjusted to realistically proceed. There was less restriction on time spent on tasks to preserve the nature of unity and the spirit of giving back.
Results
The garden project was a success. The church laid the foundation for a community garden and produced several crops: kale, tomatoes, radishes, dill, mint, and peppers. A 12x8 U-shaped main bed was constructed for the church members to plant and cultivate, while 6 elevated 4x2 beds were purchased for community members to adopt. The garden has a storage shed, manual sprinkler system, and a rain barrel.
Evaluation
Community involvement was stifled due to delays in church board approvals, volunteer availability, and insufficient engagement. Those interested had other interest or commitments by the time the garden was ready. The delays also cut the growing season for those who wanted to adopt a bed.
The plans for next year are met with enthusiasm as church members have been excited to have a garden and are sharing insights. Next year's project will consist of winterizing the garden in October, registering members of the community for the 2024 growing season in January, preparing the garden by starting seeds and tilling, installing gutters to the shed for efficient collection of rain into the rain barrel, adding walkways with pavers, and adding florals,