Are you interested in starting a community garden in partnership with DUG in your neighborhood?
DUG offers individuals, community organizers, grassroots groups, and neighborhood associations essential technical expertise with planning, launching, and maintaining community gardens.
Our support services includes:
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Designing and building gardens
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Supporting garden organization, leadership, outreach, and maintenance
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Connecting nearby gardens and gardeners to each other through our Micro Networks
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Sharing that gardens are extraordinary places for learning and healthy living
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Designing school gardens to serve as outdoor classrooms
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Linking gardens with related local food system projects and policy
In order to fully support our network of existing community gardens, DUG practices sustainable growth.
We typically build no more than two community gardens a year, one in the spring and one in the fall. The process to approve, build, and launch a community garden typically takes three years from start to finish.
As we consider taking on new garden projects, we look for a demonstrated need, commitment, and community support for the garden. If necessary, we can assist with finding a site, securing access to water, and identifying potential participants within the neighborhood.
Essential Criteria for new DUG Gardens
Interest in community gardens continues to build as communities look for solutions for food insecurity and malnutrition, rising obesity rates, widening culture gaps, a nationwide mental health crisis, and climate change, among others.
We evaluate and prioritize building new DUG gardens according to these guidelines:
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At least one new build a year is prioritized for an area where greater food access and food sovereignty are needed
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A critical mass of at least 10 people from all involved sectors (school, administration, community, neighborhood partners) need to be involved in the garden organizing and be interested in gardening
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All Garden Leaders must be interested in having a plot at the community garden
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The garden must be fully funded before the build begins
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The new garden should not be within 1 mile of a garden that is not at 100% capacity
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The proposed site must have access to water
Download DUG’s Guide to Partnering with DUG on a New Community Garden, a free community resource that explains how to partner with DUG and start a community garden.
The Guide includes:
- Information on Denver Urban Gardens and how we can support your community garden project
- Steps to starting a DUG community garden
- Roles and responsibilities of DUG Garden Leaders
- Roles and responsibilities of DUG community gardeners
- DUG Community garden maintenance guidelines
