New World Survival · Community Garden Field Manual
Community Garden First-Visit and Joining Worksheet
Use this before you accept a plot. Do not check a box because you hope the answer is yes. Record what the garden actually told you, what you observed, and what still needs verification.
Join when hard requirements pass and material questions are resolved. Investigate when the garden may work but you still need evidence. Decline when a hard requirement fails or a controlling safety, access or management question remains unresolved.
1. Your hard requirements
Write these before evaluating a specific garden.
| Requirement | What must be true? | Hard requirement or preference? |
|---|---|---|
| Travel and transportation | ||
| Entry hours | ||
| Mobility and accessibility | ||
| Maximum plot size I can manage | ||
| Pesticide / growing-method constraint | ||
| Common-work / meeting limit | ||
| Other |
2. Candidate garden log
| Garden | How found | Contact | Plot status | Visit date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Candidate evaluation
3. Garden identity and current status
□ Individual plots are currently offered.
□ I confirmed who is eligible.
□ I know whether assignment is vacancy, waitlist, lottery, application window or another process.
□ I know whether I must reapply or renew.
□ I have the current rules or agreement.
4. Money, time and plot commitment
□ I can manage this plot size consistently.
□ I can reach the garden often enough during hot weather.
□ I can meet the common-work requirements without depending on wishful scheduling.
□ I have estimated seeds, transplants, amendments and personal tools separately from the fee.
First visit
5. Walk the real route
| Area | What I observed | Pass / question / fail |
|---|---|---|
| Arrival and parking / transit / bicycle access | ||
| Entrance, gate, lock and posted hours | ||
| Route surface and slope | ||
| Candidate plot boundaries and condition | ||
| Sunlight and shade | ||
| Drainage / low spots / obvious runoff | ||
| Water source and distance to plot | ||
| Tool storage | ||
| Compost / waste system | ||
| Common areas and paths | ||
| Exit while carrying tools or produce |
6. Accessibility and physical usability
Evaluate your actual needs. A wide-looking path or one raised bed does not answer the entire access question.
□ I can get from arrival to the entrance.
□ I can operate the gate / lock / latch.
□ The route surface and slope are workable for me.
□ I can reach and turn where needed.
□ I can use the assigned bed or plot.
□ I can reach and operate the water system.
□ I can reach required common areas or work locations.
□ Rest, shade or seating needs are met if they are important to me.
Safety and shared systems
7. Site history and soil questions
Routine fertility testing and environmental contaminant investigation can be different. Ask what is known about the property history, what was tested, and what the testing did not establish.
| What was the site used for before the garden? | |
|---|---|
| Are nearby historical uses relevant? | |
| What soil / growing-media testing has been done? | |
| What did those tests measure? | |
| Were environmental contaminants considered? | |
| Are raised beds or imported media used? Why? | |
| Who should answer a remaining environmental question? |
□ No controlling soil or site-history concern remains unresolved.
8. Water system
| Water source | |
|---|---|
| Spigot / filling point location | |
| Shared hoses / cans / fittings | |
| Watering hours / restrictions | |
| Can water be left running unattended? | |
| Who reports / repairs leaks? | |
| Short-absence watering policy |
□ I personally traced the route from the water source to the plot.
□ I know how I would keep the plot watered during my ordinary week.
Rules and management
9. Rules you understand before joining
| Rule area | What this garden requires | Works for me? |
|---|---|---|
| Plot maintenance and weeds | ||
| Pesticides and fertilizers | ||
| Trellises / structures / tall crops | ||
| Perennials / invasive plants | ||
| Shared work | ||
| Meetings / orientation | ||
| Guests / children | ||
| Harvest / communal areas | ||
| Absence / substitute watering | ||
| Renewal | ||
| Abandoned-plot process | ||
| Conflict process |
10. Management signals
□ Current rules are available.
□ Selection / waitlist system is clear.
□ A coordinator or management contact is identifiable.
□ Water and common-area responsibilities are understandable.
□ Abandoned plots are handled by a stated process.
□ New gardeners receive orientation or a first plot visit.
□ Conflicting pesticide answers
□ Unexplained fees or work requirements
□ Many neglected plots
□ No current management contact
□ Broken water system with no repair path
□ Rules exist only as unwritten tradition
Decision
11. Unresolved questions log
| Question | Who can answer? | Evidence needed | Resolved? |
|---|---|---|---|
12. Final decision
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13. Capability check
□ I can explain how I found this garden and how I verified it is active.
□ I can show the current rules and assignment process.
□ I walked the route from arrival to the plot and water.
□ I know what the organization says about site history and soil testing.
□ I calculated the actual burden from this garden's requirements.
□ I know how abandoned plots, pesticides, renewal and conflict are handled.
□ My decision is based on evidence rather than the excitement of an open plot.