Welcome to the garden, a community project based in Greystones and Kilcoole

What is a community garden?

A community garden is a green space where people can learn about growing their own fruit and vegetables. Through observing volunteer gardeners from their locality and participating in the preparation, planting, tending and harvesting of produce in a community garden, people can acquire the skills and experience to grow some of their own food in their own gardens or in other communal space close to their home. A key element of a community garden is to provide an opportunity for children and young people to learn about growing food and for that reason the community garden fosters close links with local schools, with a programme to encourage visits to the community garden for school children.

How much land does a community garden need?

A community garden does not require a large open space, but typically needs not more than 1 acre of land which can be tended. The garden contains a mix of fruit and vegetables, together with a traditionally planted garden area for people to relax in. The main requirement for the community garden land is that it must be accessible, secure, centrally located and in an area where the garden gains acceptance from the directly neighbouring communities. There must be a safe place for people to park and it should be accessible to public transport. Traditionally a community garden can be developed on a piece of land that is either to be retained for green space or alternatively in a plot of land that is undergoing transition and which may be involved in development at some future stage. The land can be granted to the community garden group on a lease or a licence and with a requirement for effective public liability insurance to be retained in place to indemnify the land owner against any claims. It is intended that the central community garden initiative will feed into other community garden projects within neighbourhoods throughout Greystones, which would operate on smaller scale, but with the same purpose in mind.

What is the difference between a community garden and an allotment?

A community garden is different from an allotment. An allotment is a piece of land which an individual leases which is exclusively theirs to sow and grow over a season. They plant and tend the allotment and then harvest all the fruit and vegetables for their own use. A community garden on the other hand is more focused on growing a wider variety of fruit and vegetables so that the people involved can gain first hand experience in relation to a wide range of produce. The produce from the community garden can be either divided among those involved in growing the particular produce, sold to raise funds or donated to charity.

Who runs the community garden?

The community garden is run by a group of volunteers who are interested in growing food and providing guidance and practical advice to others interested in doing likewise. In Greystones/Kilcoole, the Community Garden Group was founded in November 2007 and has a current group of 40 residents from right across the greater Greystones/Kilcoole area. The Group is registering as a charity with the Revenue Commissioners and is appointing Trustees to oversee its corporate governance. The Group operates purely on the basis of voluntary contributions, fundraising and subscriptions, and is strictly non party political. The Group is open to all people who share the objective of growing and learning about growing food. Access to the community garden will not be restricted to people who are members of the Group – all those with an interest in growing their own food will be encouraged to visit the garden and will be admitted without any entrance fee or charge.

What are the benefits of a community garden?

There are enormous benefits that derive from the development of a community garden to the local community, including;

To educate people within the community on how and why to grow their own food
To encourage the production of more food locally and to reduce reliance on imported and unsustainable food sources
To build community relations and develop social capital
To encourage outdoor activities and moderate exercise

Greystones/Kilcoole Community Project 20 April 2009


		The garden is located beside the Community Centre, Mill Road, Greystones Check out our Facebook page

		What is a community garden? A community garden is a green space where people can learn about growing their own fruit and vegetables. Through observing volunteer gardeners from their locality and participating in the preparation, planting, tending and harvesting of produce in a community garden, people can acquire the skills and experience to grow some of their own food in their own gardens or in other communal space close to their home. A key element of a community garden is to provide an opportunity for children and young people to learn about growing food and for that reason the community garden fosters close links with local schools, with a programme to encourage visits to the community garden for school children. How much land does a community garden need? A community garden does not require a large open space, but typically needs not more than 1 acre of land which can be tended. The garden contains a mix of fruit and vegetables, together with a traditionally planted garden area for people to relax in. The main requirement for the community garden land is that it must be accessible, secure, centrally located and in an area where the garden gains acceptance from the directly neighbouring communities. There must be a safe place for people to park and it should be accessible to public transport. Traditionally a community garden can be developed on a piece of land that is either to be retained for green space or alternatively in a plot of land that is undergoing transition and which may be involved in development at some future stage. The land can be granted to the community garden group on a lease or a licence and with a requirement for effective public liability insurance to be retained in place to indemnify the land owner against any claims. It is intended that the central community garden initiative will feed into other community garden projects within neighbourhoods throughout Greystones, which would operate on smaller scale, but with the same purpose in mind. What is the difference between a community garden and an allotment? A community garden is different from an allotment. An allotment is a piece of land which an individual leases which is exclusively theirs to sow and grow over a season. They plant and tend the allotment and then harvest all the fruit and vegetables for their own use. A community garden on the other hand is more focused on growing a wider variety of fruit and vegetables so that the people involved can gain first hand experience in relation to a wide range of produce. The produce from the community garden can be either divided among those involved in growing the particular produce, sold to raise funds or donated to charity. Who runs the community garden? The community garden is run by a group of volunteers who are interested in growing food and providing guidance and practical advice to others interested in doing likewise. In Greystones/Kilcoole, the Community Garden Group was founded in November 2007 and has a current group of 40 residents from right across the greater Greystones/Kilcoole area. The Group is registering as a charity with the Revenue Commissioners and is appointing Trustees to oversee its corporate governance. The Group operates purely on the basis of voluntary contributions, fundraising and subscriptions, and is strictly non party political. The Group is open to all people who share the objective of growing and learning about growing food. Access to the community garden will not be restricted to people who are members of the Group – all those with an interest in growing their own food will be encouraged to visit the garden and will be admitted without any entrance fee or charge. What are the benefits of a community garden? There are enormous benefits that derive from the development of a community garden to the local community, including; To educate people within the community on how and why to grow their own food To encourage the production of more food locally and to reduce reliance on imported and unsustainable food sources To build community relations and develop social capital To encourage outdoor activities and moderate exercise Greystones/Kilcoole Community Project 20 April 2009