Apply to Start a Community Garden

1. Recruit interested gardeners and appoint 4 Leadership Committee members

Leadership Committee members ensure the work required to plan, build, and maintain the garden gets completed. Leadership Committee members communicate with neighbors and may need to explain the need for a new community garden.

City-Permitted Community Garden's Leadership Committees are made up of the following required roles:

• A Treasurer
• An Outreach Coordinator
• A Site Coordinator
• A Membership Coordinator

Email the communitygardens@austintexas.gov to receive more details on the responsibilities of each role. Your bylaws must reflect the specific requirements for each role and how your garden operates.

2. Create an Evergreen email for your garden

Evergreen emails are required for all City-Permitted Community Gardens, such as gardenname@gmail.com. Evergreen emails must be used by the Site Coordinator for all correspondence between the City and the garden, as well as between the fiscal sponsor and the garden. Evergreen emails ensure records are accessible during Leadership Committee transitions and allow for continued communications.

3. Create a list of interested gardeners

Your garden will need a minimum of 4 gardeners. Each family or related individual counts as one gardener out of the required 4. A single household of 4 individuals gardening together does not meet the requirement for a City-Permitted Community Garden. We encourage you to have 10 or more active gardeners to maintain the minimum of 4 gardeners. If your garden drops below the required minimum of 4 active gardeners, you will need to actively recruit more gardeners in order to continue operating with a Community Garden Permit per City Code Chapter 14-7 Sustainable Urban Agriculture.

Ways to get people interested in joining your garden include:

• Create social media accounts. Use the garden’s Evergreen email to create the social media accounts, do not use a personal email.
• Invite people you know to like or follow your social media pages.
• Ask neighborhood groups and community members to like or follow your pages and update them often.
• Advertise in neighborhood newspapers, community council newsletters, or bulletin boards.
• Put up flyers in places of worship, community centers, or public places close by to find out who is interested.

4. Find people to volunteer

The process of installing a new garden and maintaining a garden long term will take many hours of physical labor. Tasks like mowing, weeding, composting, and mulching require ongoing maintenance. Talk to neighbors, business owners, and civic groups about volunteering in your garden regularly, such as:

• Universities and community colleges
• Neighborhood associations
• Spiritual and faith-based communities
• Youth organizations (Boys and Girls Club, Scout troops, sports teams, outdoor education groups)
• Corporate Groups (Dell, Oracle, Google, Whole Foods, TikTok, etc.)

These groups may be interested in assisting with large projects and weeding. Volunteers are not permitted to use power tools such as drills, mowers, or weed eaters. Consider providing lunch, water, gloves, tools, and a first-aid kit when a community group volunteers. Always send a thank-you note afterward. Ensure all volunteers sign waivers provided by your fiscal sponsor before beginning work. These waivers need to be sent to the fiscal sponsor following the workday. GivePulse is a fantastic way to manage volunteer signups and waivers electronically. Ask Austin Parks Foundation for support with GivePulse.

While considering land for a community garden, think about location, terrain, sun, water, and permits required.

1. Find a site

While we do NOT offer pre-approved sites for starting new community gardens, we do have existing gardens you can join. Go to the Join A Community Garden webpage to help you find existing community gardens which may be close to your neighborhood. We always recommend people wanting to start a new garden look at existing gardens before applying to start a new garden.

***If you want to build a garden on private property, scroll to the bottom of this page for more information on that process.

The map on the Join A Community Garden webpage works best on a desktop or laptop computer. Be sure to zoom in to the neighborhood level to see all of the possible garden sites.

2. Work with the Community Gardens Program Coordinator to Contact 811

You are required to work with the Community Garden Coordinator to make sure there are no utilities in areas where there will be digging. If utilities are located, we will have to find a different location for your garden.

3. Test the soil

Contact the Community Garden Coordinator to coordinate soil testing after your site has been cleared of utilities.

You will attach a PDF with your soil test results in your application. If the results show high levels of heavy metal contamination, you must:

• Inform the sponsoring nonprofit (it may affect their liability insurance).
• Disclose the contamination in the membership agreement.
• Grow edibles in garden beds rather than directly in the soil.
• Re-test the soil annually.
• Your garden will not be able to have fruit trees.

4. Estimate the garden size

Gardens range from only a dozen plots to over 80 plots. Community gardens typically will start with enough beds to meet the level of interest at the time that they are built, and they add beds over time based on needs and requests. We recommend aiming for around 20 plots.

Considerations for Garden Sites

Private land City-Permitted Community Gardens:
Gardens on private land do not necessarily need a Community Garden Permit. The only reason a community garden on private land would ever need a Community Garden Permit is to receive a water tap fee-waiver. For more information about this, email communitygardens@austintexas.gov.

If the community garden will be on privately owned property, you will need to obtain a notarized Land Control Document from the property owner. Email communitygardens@austintexas.gov for more information.

City land City-Permitted Community Gardens:
Schedule a site visit with the Community Gardens Program Coordinator to evaluate the following:

• Is the garden visible and on a street with low traffic?
• Is the garden larger than 4000 sq. ft.? Smaller lots in high-density areas can be approved. Work with the community garden staff.
• Is the land reasonably flat or can it be terraced?
• Does the garden get sun exposure most of the day? (Gardens will not be approved that have too much shade from trees or buildings)
• Is there water access?
• Is the location environmentally critical? Meaning it has:
  • Protected trees
  • Landscaping
  • Fish/Wildlife
  • Wetlands
  • Construction on slopes
  • Erosion protection
  • Impervious cover
  • Environmental features
• Can the location be developed?

The Community Gardens Program supports garden projects on many kinds of land, but this application is specifically for starting a community garden on city-owned parkland. For gardens on non-city owned land, please email communitygardens@austintexas.gov to inquire about the process.

The Community Gardens Program helps start gardens that the community supports and will benefit from. You will need a nonprofit fiscal sponsor and letters of support.

1. Get letters of support from:

• all neighbors of adjoining properties
• neighborhood associations
• neighborhood businesses
• and key stakeholders (e.g., schools, churches, recreation centers).

Any neighboring entity or contiguous landowner must provide a letter of support. If the garden is next to or within a neighborhood with a Homeowner's Association (HOA) or Neighborhood Association (NA), you can get a letter of support from the board of the HOA or NA rather than individual letters from each household. 

2. Get fiscal sponsorship from a 501(c)3 nonprofit in the form of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)

The MOU is required to contain the following: 

• The fiscal sponsoring nonprofit will provide umbrella liability insurance coverage in the amount of a minimum of $1,000,000 per incident. 
• The nonprofit fiscal sponsor will receive the water bill. Gardeners will pay the water bill out of their fiscally sponsored bank account.
• The MOU will contain the agreement for how the garden manages volunteers who are not garden members.

Any 501(c)3 nonprofit can support your community garden but consider working with a nonprofit that knows the process.

Austin Parks Foundation is the primary fiscal sponsor for community gardens on City-owned land in Austin. You may email the Austin Parks Foundation at apf@austinparks.org to inquire about fiscal sponsorship. Other fiscal sponsors include Fruitful Commons and Partners for Education, Agriculture, and Sustainability (PEAS).

Choose a nonprofit by considering their ability to assist with some or all of the following:

• Technical support, including assistance with water billing issues
• Communicating with City staff and other community organizations
• Finding grant money for garden design and building costs
• Paying water bills
• Keeping track of grant funds, donations, and plot rental fees
• Recruiting volunteers to help install the garden

A community garden needs the following documents:

• Bylaws 
• Membership Agreement
• Garden Rules
• Budget
• Fundraising Plan
• Construction Timeline 

Email the Community Gardens Program Coordinator for templates and more information once you reach this stage in Phase 2 following approval of Phase 1.

1. Make Garden Rules

What rules will members follow? How will conflicts between gardeners be resolved? Who has gate codes? How will the Leadership Committee communicate with the garden members?

Garden Rules on City land must align with City Code. For example, a community garden on City of Austin parkland must abide by park rules. This includes but is not limited to rules about vending, curfew, dogs remaining on leash, and smoking and alcohol policies. You can find out more about park rules here Title 8 Parks and Recreation Code of Ordinances.

Gardens on Watershed Protection land that is part of a floodplain will follow all relevant floodplain regulations.

2. Create a Membership Agreement

How will individual gardeners contribute to the garden? What fees will they have to pay, if any? How long do they commit for? Will they be required to participate in workdays and in the maintenance of common areas?

3. Lay out a timeline

What events need to take place in order to successfully build your community garden? When do you plan for them to happen?

4. Draft a first-year budget and fundraising plan

Community garden budgets vary widely depending on their size and gardeners' choices. Whether you are planning for a small or a large garden, it is important to understand the resources required to start it and make a plan for how to obtain them. You can fund your community garden through:

• Donations of:
  • Money
  • Goods, such as lumber, plants, or tools
  • Services, such as those of a landscape architect
• Fundraisers
• Grants, such as:
  • Austin Parks Foundation Community Grant
  • Community Activated Park Projects

Various organizations have grants for which you can apply. Grant applications will state when the grants are due. Contact neighborhood groups, community service associations, and educational, cultural, ethnic, or religious organizations to find out about any grant opportunities they may have.

We encourage you to reach out to other community garden leaders for more insights. The Coalition of Austin Community Gardens provides profiles for each garden.

Once you've gathered letters of support and drafted documents for your garden, send that to the community gardens coordinator and have an on-site meeting.
 

1. Gather the following documents:

• Memorandum of Understanding from a nonprofit
• Letters of support from the community
• Garden rules
• Membership agreement
• Timeline
• Budget and fundraising plan for the first year

Please read the pages on letters of support and garden documentation for details.

2. Submit these documents to the community gardens coordinator

By email (recommended)

• Send the documents as attachments or viewable link to communitygardens@austintexas.gov.

By mail

• Print and mail your documents to:
  • Community Gardens Program, 200 S. Lamar Blvd., Austin, TX 78704
• Please contact the community gardens coordinator first by email so they will expect the packet in the mail.

Approximately two weeks after your submission, be ready to attend a meeting at the garden site between:

• The garden's coordinating committee
• The community gardens coordinator
• Other city representatives, such as a Park Forestry representative
• Representatives from other organizations (optional)

We will discuss:

• Your application packet, which includes the application you submitted at the first check-in, plus the new documents listed above
• Early thoughts on garden design
• Next steps

Community garden design is driven by the unique characteristics of each site but every garden should include these details. The application requires a description and a sketch of your community garden design.

1. Consider the following elements:

Layout

Design your garden to ensure that plots receive ample sunlight. Plan for at least 10 plots. Raised beds should be 4' x 6' to 4’x 8’ in size. Taller garden beds are more accessible for seniors and community members with limited mobility.

Garden paths should be wide enough (at least 4 feet) to accommodate mobility devices such as wheelchairs and walkers.

Many gardens use the borders of the community garden to plant perennial herbs, native plants, and fruit trees.

Water

City-sponsored community gardens must use sustainable urban agriculture practices, including water conservation. Some measures you can take for water conservation include:

Automatic sprinklers are not allowed. Hose watering is an option but discouraged since it is very inefficient in the Central Texas climate. We recommend a professionally installed underground system of PVC pipes with hose bibs and a drip line irrigation system. Timers can be used for drip irrigation.

Waste

Your garden must have a shared composting area for the community gardeners, with space for compost piles at different stages, and a location for mulch and soil to be staged. There are various different methods for composting that you can adopt. Any non-compostable waste in your garden, such as pet waste, must be carried out.

Community involvement

Post a sign with the garden's name, endorsers, and the garden's primary email address for more information. Please use an email that is not a personal email, instead select an Evergreen email that will remain active through leadership changes. Gardens exist to give back to the community, consider making at least one plot free of charge, as an educational or social service to those in need.

Food in communal garden beds may be donated to emergency food providers or placed outside the gate to invite people to harvest food as needed. Examples can be found at the Deep Eddy Community Garden and at the Cherry Creek Community Garden.

Structures

Erect a fence around the perimeter to define the boundaries of your garden and discourage vandalism. We recommend a 4-6' tall hog wire fence.

Store tools, supplies, and materials in a locked tool shed or other structure.

Create a gathering space like a bench or picnic table where gardeners can sit, relax, or offer workshops. This could alternately serve as space for a shared plant nursery or potting table.

Put up two kiosks or bulletin boards, one internal where you communicate rules, meeting notices, and other important information to gardeners, and one external where you communicate open hours, compost drop-off times, and volunteer opportunities to neighbors.

2. Write a description of your community garden

It should include:

• Why was this site selected?
• How will the garden serve the community's needs?
• When will the community garden be open to the public? Community gardens are required to be open to the public at least once per month.
• Will the garden host demonstrations or workshops that will be open to the public?
• How will you implement sustainable urban agriculture practices?
• General plans for layout, irrigation, and waste/composting.

There is no required length for this document.

3. Create a sketch of your community garden design

Your community garden sketch needs to be drawn to scale. Using a landscape architect is recommended but not required. It will help in the site plan exception application. To meet site plan requirements your sketch should be at a 10 to 30 engineering scale or a 1/8” to 1/2” architectural scale. It should indicate, but is not limited to:

• Existing trees and landscaping
• Buildings
• Parking areas and driveways
• Roadways/streets
• Accessible parking
• Detention ponds
• All areas of impervious cover (existing and proposed)
• Erosion controls (i.e.: silt fencing, tree protection)
• Limits and type of construction
• Location of construction
• On-site sewage (septic) system

Some landscape architects offer reduced rates or are willing to do pro bono work for community gardens.

View a few sample garden designs.

For more details on planning a garden see Texas AgriLife Extension Service - How to Plan a Garden.

A site plan is a detailed drawing of proposed improvements and construction on a lot which are reviewed for compliance with Austin’s land development code. Site plan exemptions speed up small projects' permitting process.

Determine if you are eligible for a site plan exemption under Section 25-5-2 of the Land Development Code.

To submit a site plan exemption, visit the Site Plans, Exemptions and Corrections page.

Once you have your garden design and an approved site plan, you are ready to submit your community garden permit application. This is the third and final check-in.

1. Make sure that you have already gone through the first and second community garden permit check-ins

If you have not, please see the full community garden permit guide for details.

2. Gather the following documents:

• Garden design description and sketch
• Approved site plan or site plan exemption
• Final draft of garden documentation, including:
  • Garden rules
  • Membership agreement
  • Timeline
• First-year budget and fundraising plan

3. Submit all documents to the Community Gardens Program

By email (recommended)

• Send the documents as attachments or viewable link to communitygardens@austintexas.gov.

By mail

• Print and mail your documents to:
• Community Gardens Program, 200 S. Lamar Blvd., Austin, TX 78704
• Please contact the community gardens coordinator first by email so they will expect the packet in the mail.

4. Pay the $50 application fee

Mail a check to:

Attn: PARD Finance, 200 S. Lamar Blvd., Austin, TX 78704

5. You will be contacted regarding your application within two weeks

Because you have gone through multiple check-ins and worked closely with the Community Gardens Program staff, applications are typically approved. If an application is not ready to be approved, the Community Gardens Program staff will communicate what is missing or needs to be revised.

6. An approved community gardens permit application serves as a fee waiver for a water tap installation

The Community Gardens Program staff will work closely with your team to get water to your garden.