DUG gardens are as unique and diverse as the people who garden in them
There are 200 active community and school-based gardens in the DUG network.
With the exception of a small number of gardens that serve specific communities, DUG community gardens are open to the public and managed by more than 300 volunteer Garden Leaders and stewarded by over 17,000 gardeners. The diversity of our gardens is reflected in their sizes, organizational structures, community cultures, and internal community policies.
DUG gardens are comprised of several separate garden plots that are each cared for by individuals or families.
Community gardeners care for and harvest from their own plots, or growing spaces. Plot sizes vary from garden to garden but most are 10 feet by 15 feet, or around 150 square feet. Shared spaces like pathways, perennial herb and flower beds, sheds, and gathering spaces are cared for by all community members. Many gardens also have spaces dedicated to growing extra produce for community redistribution in partnership with local food banks, community organizations, and mutual aid groups.
How DUG Supports our Community Gardens:
- Cultivate community-driven garden leadership, including volunteer Gardener Leader recruitment and placement
- Provide garden maintenance support
- Provide fiscal management of garden accounts (as requested)
- Provide liability insurance coverage for gardens and serve as liaison between gardens and city officials, agencies, and water providers
- Establish working relations with garden property owner agencies and negotiate and maintain garden site use agreements
- Coordinate volunteer groups and supervise large maintenance and improvement projects
- Mediate inter-community gardener conflicts as requested
- Offer EPA soil testing to determine soil characteristics and potential contaminants
- Organize community networking and learning events for gardeners and garden leaders
