Introduction
Now that the theoretical preparation phase has been completed, this sequence will enable the group to give concrete form to this wonderful garden in the making. There will be some initial work to do, depending on the reality of the situation, such as levelling the ground, putting up a fence, accessing the water supply… These could be carried out by a local authority partner. At the same time, the participating gardeners will meet up, get to know each other over a snack, and forge friendships. Together, they work on the installations, such as marking out the boundaries of the plots, preparing the soil and planting the first trees and flowers. The leader ensures that the project document is respected and applied, and as his name suggests, he leads the group. The garden takes shape, the garden comes to life!
Lessons
L1. Settlements
Setting up a community garden requires careful planning, beginning with essential administrative procedures. Before any physical work can take place, it is necessary to secure the proper authorizations, such as building permits and land-use approvals from local authorities. These formalities ensure the project complies with zoning laws, environmental guidelines, and safety regulations. Additionally, agreements may need to be established with landowners or municipal representatives to guarantee long-term access to the land.
Once the legal aspects are in order, the first phase of physical work begins with preparing the site. This includes clearing debris, removing invasive plants, and leveling the ground to create a safe and functional gardening space. If the land has been neglected or was previously used for other purposes, soil testing may be necessary to check for contaminants and determine its suitability for cultivation.
Infrastructure installation is another key step in the process. Providing access to essential utilities, such as water and electricity, is crucial for the garden’s sustainability. This may involve setting up irrigation systems, water storage tanks, or drainage solutions to ensure efficient water management. If the garden includes storage sheds, lighting, or security features, installing electricity meters and wiring may also be required.
Given the complexity of some of these tasks, professional expertise is often necessary. The use of heavy machinery might be required for land leveling, trenching, or installing infrastructure. In such cases, hiring specialists ensures that the work is carried out efficiently and in compliance with regulations. However, community members can still participate in many aspects of the preparation, such as cleaning the site, marking garden plots, and assisting with basic installations.
By methodically addressing these initial steps, a community garden can be set up on solid ground. Proper preparation ensures the space will not only be functional but also inviting, allowing it to thrive as a valuable resource for the community.
To ensure the smooth development of a community garden, it is essential to organize volunteers based on their skills and expertise. By forming dedicated teams, tasks can be carried out more efficiently, allowing for better coordination and progress. Each group should be assigned specific responsibilities that align with their abilities and interests.
One key task is demarcating the cultivation beds, which involves measuring and marking garden plots to ensure proper spacing and organization. A team with experience in gardening or landscaping can take the lead in this step, ensuring that the layout is practical and well-structured.
Another crucial aspect is equipping the garden with tools. Volunteers in this team will be responsible for gathering essential gardening tools, such as shovels, rakes, watering cans, and wheelbarrows. They may also organize donations, purchase necessary equipment, and establish a storage system to keep tools accessible and in good condition.
Soil preparation is fundamental to a successful garden. A team dedicated to this task will focus on improving soil quality by adding amendments such as compost, manure, or fertilizers. Volunteers with knowledge of soil health can assess its condition and determine the best methods to enhance fertility and drainage.
Effective communication with residents is another vital component. A group specializing in outreach can inform the community about the project, encourage participation, and provide updates on progress. This team may also be responsible for organizing events, managing social media, and connecting with local organizations.
For practical infrastructure, a dedicated team can take charge of constructing a garden shed or other necessary structures. Volunteers with skills in carpentry or construction can build a secure space for storing tools, materials, and supplies, enhancing the garden’s functionality.
Each team should have a designated leader. The team leader will oversee activities, set objectives, and track progress while serving as the main point of contact. By coordinating efforts between teams, they play a crucial role in the development of the garden in an organized and collaborative manner.
The ability to live together is based on essential values such as respect, tolerance and solidarity. These values are developed through interaction and exchange: the creation of a close-knit community requires moments of sharing and conviviality.
Once the facilities have been set up, it’s essential to draw up a set of internal rules defining how the new areas are to be used and managed.
These rules are designed to ensure respectful and sustainable use of the garden, taking into account everyone’s needs. They must include provisions relating to the upkeep of the site, hours of use, expected user behavior and penalties for non-compliance.
The rules must be drawn up in consultation with the various stakeholders, so that they can be adopted by all. Increasingly, we are seeking to include citizens in the creation and modification of rules, with the help of facilitation tools.
What you need to know:
- Many elements of the rules are included in the project document. This is the basis for writing the rules.
- Internal regulations are intended to evolve over time. Indeed, the rules at the time of installation are not the same as those that will govern the garden in operation.
- Nevertheless, a good set of rules must be able to adapt to new realities without losing their coherence.
In general, an association is free to determine the content of its internal regulations. However, certain types of associations must include mandatory provisions. This is the case, for example, for sports associations seeking affiliation with a federation.
In concrete terms, this document details the association’s internal organization and operational procedures. It primarily addresses temporary elements that may evolve over time, such as the association’s opening hours or membership fees. As mentioned earlier, modifying these regulations is a straightforward process.
The internal regulations of an association may include the following:
- The organizational procedures for the general assembly, the board of directors, and other governing bodies, including the number of annual meetings, conditions for convening, quorum rules, and representation requirements.
- The operating conditions of the association’s governing bodies.
- Membership and exclusion rules, such as the criteria for accepting new members, entry fees, membership dues, and exclusion procedures.
- Conditions for using the association’s premises and equipment.
- Procedures for modifying the internal regulations, specifying the responsible body, timelines, and the adoption process.
- Financial and accounting rules (that will depend on national regulations)
- Guidelines for organizing events and activities.
The competent authority responsible for drafting and adopting these regulations is defined by the association’s statutes. This could be the association’s president, executive committee, board of directors, or general assembly
Let’s act! LET’S PLAN THE MAIN SECTIONS OF THE RULES
L2. Facilitation tools
The power of collective intelligence is often underestimated. In both our professional and personal lives, we are inherently interdependent, even if we do not always recognize it. However, effective teamwork comes with its challenges. This is where facilitation tools and techniques become essential, serving as valuable resources that, when properly utilized, can enhance collaboration and group efficiency.
Facilitation tools originate from the popular education movement, which aims to make knowledge accessible to all, by promoting learning and citizen participation. This movement favors collective dynamics.
The effective use of facilitation tools and techniques relies on several key prerequisites, ensuring that collective work is meaningful, engaging, and productive.
For a group to function effectively, all members must be aligned with a common goal. Commitment is not just about showing up; it is about actively engaging, contributing, and taking responsibility for the group’s success. Without a shared willingness to participate, even the best tools will fail to create impact.
Before any structured work can take place, it is essential to establish a welcoming and friendly atmosphere. The pleasure of gathering together forms the foundation of any collaborative effort. When individuals enjoy being part of a group, they are more likely to stay engaged and invested in the project’s evolution. A positive and supportive environment fosters trust, openness, and cooperation—key ingredients for successful facilitation.
Learning is most effective when it is experiential. As Roger Mucchielli highlighted, “we retain 10% of what we read, 20% of what we hear… and 90% of what we do and say.” This principle, known as active pedagogy, is at the core of facilitation. In this training program, participants learn by doing, applying concepts in real time to grasp their value and impact.
To implement this approach successfully, facilitators must:
- Have a strong understanding of the tools available.
- Choose the right tools with a clear objective in mind.
- Prepare thoroughly to ensure smooth execution.
- Adapt or create new tools to meet the group’s specific needs.
A facilitator’s posture—the way they guide and interact with the group—is their most important tool. Facilitation techniques should support, rather than replace, their role. Tools must be used intentionally to serve a deeper purpose, not as mere gimmicks. The facilitator should clearly communicate why a particular method is being used:
“I suggest we proceed as follows, because our ambition is to… This will enable us to… Does this approach work for you?”
Animation objectives
All community gardens activities, from its conception to its functioning, whether it is to manage it on a daily basis or to solve issues, can be enhanced by non-formal education activities. For instance, creating a garden model together allows participants to share ideas and knowledge, ensuring the design reflects the community’s interests. Writing a charter collectively helps define the garden’s mission and values, aligning the group’s vision and creating a shared sense of purpose.
Non-formal education also strengthens the garden’s operations. Group discussions on roles, responsibilities, and governance can help clarify the organization’s structure. Negotiating operating rules enables participants to address important issues like space allocation and participation, while developing essential communication and negotiation skills.
In the next section, we will propose you some activities and tools with concrete examples of situations where they can be used. These tools use all forms of language to develop creativity and collective intelligence: writing, reading, speaking, illustrating, moving…
The learning experience is an active pedagogical practice that enables learning through the realization of a concrete production. It’s project-based learning.
Here are some concrete examples:
The world café method
The “world café” technique used to define the project framework in the second sequence is one of the most powerful tools in popular education. It is a powerful tool for producing results.
This technique gives movement and animates the session. Participants feel freer and at ease. It is possible to form working groups that meet in a corner of the garden or at their convenience…
Case studies, discussions and debates
Discussions and debates are a spontaneous part of group life.Disagreement is perfectly natural and a source of novelty. But debates often go round and round in circles, leading nowhere. Facilitation tools can be used to structure discussions or debates and make them more productive.
The method involves three phases:
- First, an individual analysis of the problem, followed by a personal diagnosis,
- Then a discussion in small groups to compare diagnoses, formulate and order the problems to be solved and build a solution.
- At the end of the session, the different groups propose their practical solutions. The facilitator acts as referee, helping the group to produce a result.
Variation 1: The “one, two, four, all” technique used in Module 3 to determine the group’s shared values in order to write the garden charter. Different kinds of debates are proposed, on both organization and objectives.
Variant 2: When the group is very large in number, a moving debate can be used. A moving debate consists in submitting a proposal to a group, then asking participants to take a physical stand for or against it, moving to one side of the room or the other, corresponding to the affirmation or negation. People then take the floor to argue their position.
Brainstorming
Brainstorming is a technique for finding original ideas in a meeting, where everyone makes suggestions spontaneously. There are several rules to follow: focus on quantity, avoid criticism and judgment, encourage unusual ideas and improve ideas.
Once the facilitator has set out the instructions, the brainstorming begins with a phase of personal reflection, followed by each person in turn, in silence, putting forward an idea which is noted on a large board. The final phase is one of cooperation, in which participants take up the ideas of others, improve them and finally combine them.
Photolanguage
When a group is formed, to help everyone introduce themselves in an informal, more original way, we can propose a series of images placed in the center of the table and ask everyone to pick out the one that most concerns them. Then, each person in turn introduces him or herself, explaining why he or she chose the image and what it means to him or her.
Well-chosen, relevant photos, images and videos have the power to encourage comprehension and memorization, and leave a lasting impression.
The mind map, a graphic facilitation tool
A mind map is a kind of diagram with a subject at its center, from which sub-topics emerge. This tree structure can be represented by a cloud at the center, the main subject, and branches or ramifications representing the related ideas and keywords.
This drawing is supposed to visually reflect the way our thinking works, helping us to organize our ideas, discover links between them and memorize them more easily.
Some people prefer a mind map to a list – it’s a different way of thinking. For a group, it’s the mind map that’s a great gas pedal of ideas, creativity and classification of themes, especially if the subject is complex.
As a reminder, the 5Ws or the Quintilian method is an application of the mind map that will have enabled us to specify the project framework.
Role-playing
Useful for rehearsing before presenting the garden or an event to a journalist, for example. Role-playing facilitates project pitching.
Ice-breakers
It’s sometimes necessary to take a break and relax so as not to lose everyone’s attention. This is the aim of some ice-breakers. A little game that loosens the body and soothes the mind is a welcome addition. Other icebreakers are used to lighten the mood when the group is getting together, or to introduce each other. It’s all about breaking the ice, hence the name!
Numerous websites offer animation tools and techniques that vary from author to author. You’ll find two examples in the appendix. It’s easy to download the animation sheet and make it your own, so you can prepare the workshop properly.
IF YOU WANT TO GO FURTHER...
We recommend training in the use of animation tools and techniques. Nothing beats practice! To do this, you can look around you for a structure that provides this kind of training. Training courses are often not free. However, some are free.
L3. Welcoming the public
Community gardens, when created or managed collectively, serve as public spaces aimed at developing local social connections through socio-cultural activities. To open such a garden to visitors, it is essential to plan and carry out activities for the general public, which can generate significant revenue. Additionally, a minimum level of infrastructure must be provided to ensure accessibility and functionality.
An illustrative example of this is the association Conservatoire des Légumes Anciens du Béarn. This association is dedicated to the preservation of biodiversity and ecosystems through educational initiatives and the conservation of intangible cultural heritage within a conservatory orchard-garden. Its core missions include cultivating ancient or “forgotten” plant varieties, preserving floral and faunal biodiversity, raising public awareness of environmental conservation, conserving intangible cultural heritage through the establishment of an ethnobotanical center, and curating a plant collection.
The Conservatoire des Légumes Anciens du Béarn operates a Conservatory Orchard Garden, which is open to the public and supports several key activities. These include vocational and social reintegration programs in collaboration with partner organizations, educational workshops for the general public, youth training, and the promotion of cultivation methods aligned with ecological transition principles.
The garden also hosts festive, educational, and recreational events. These activities generate income for the association, as the public’s participation in paid events helps sustain the organization’s missions. While access to festive events is free, these gatherings help raise the association’s profile and attract a wider audience.
The facilities at the Conservatory are designed to accommodate the public and ensure a welcoming environment. These include a reception desk for visitors, directional signs, information panels located throughout the orchard and cultural hall, covered spaces such as a pergola and cultural room, as well as open areas with benches and tables.
A private kitchen area is available for preparing meals during festive events, and a boutique displays processed products such as jams, apple juice, and syrups. For schools, a dedicated picnic and play area is provided.
The garden is fully accessible to people with disabilities, featuring an adapted driveway, toilets, and parking spaces. In addition, hearing-impaired visitors can enjoy the experience through audible terminals and explanatory leaflets. The association also provides a variety of documentation, including site maps, annual activity programs, books, and brochures detailing the orchard’s practices.
You can download here an example that could be done with the public: an insect workshop. Other examples can be seen below within the flyer that present the garden’s activities.
