Common Ground

Happy New Year, in your gardens and in your lives, from the American Community Gardening Association. - Don

We're looking for good examples of bylaws for a new community garden, and for updating (actually creating) bylaws for a garden that is nearly 20 years old. Bylaws are not "garden rules." There are dozens of good examples of those, essentially telling gardeners what to do, and often telling how much to pay annually etc. ie. "No dogs," "If your plot gets really weedy, there are consequences..."; "Always close the gate" that kind of thing. Bylaws guide how gardens run and how garden decision-making and leadership works. For gardens with a strong volunteer-leadership component, this is especially important. Many bylaws (very common, everywhere you look, from non-profits to neighborhood associations to public agencies) are written in such thick legalistic language that nobody can understand them (even lawyers!) Are there good examples written in plain language? What elements need to be included in a minimalist version? Don

What are the top one to three top things you've learned in your community garden this difficult past year? All suggestions welcome.