2024 CHICAGO - Community Garden Assistance

University of Illinois Extension regularly assists community gardening projects by providing unbiased researched-driven information. Remote consultation via email and phone is provided year-round.

Registrations submitted after 3/15/2024 for on-site consultations will be scheduled for summer/fall 2024 assistance.

When considering a community garden, University of Illinois Extension recommends educating yourself on local resources, securing/preparing your sponsors and recruiting the community to participate in nurturing the garden.

There are many benefits to community gardening and University of Illinois Extension is here to help! Please complete the following form to help us understand the scope of the project and make proper recommendations for the site. We can then attempt to recruit Master Gardener volunteers to provide guidance for your specific garden project.

Requestors for community garden assistance must have and produce written permission from the site owner to locate the garden on their premises.

NOTE: To make the most of on-site visits, we are implementing a school and community garden training. Priority will be given to those organizations that attend our virtual training sessions Feb 15, 22, & 29, 2024. Register for the training or contact Margaret at mburnswe@illinois.edu for further information on the School and Community Garden trainings.

Contact Information

First Name

Last Name

Street Address

Street Address 2

City

State

ZIP

Daytime Phone

Evening Phone

E-mail Address

Community Garden Name:

Community Garden Address:

Is this an existing garden? If existing, how old?

No

Yes, less than 1 year

Yes, 1-2 years

Yes, 3-5 years

Yes, 6-8 years

Yes, 8+ years

How many community members are involved in this project?

1 - 5

6 - 10

11 - 15

15+

How many leaders are involved in this project?

1 - 3

4 - 6

7 - 10

10+

Average level of gardening experience among the members - 1 thru 10 1 being new to gardening 10 being advanced

Estimated installation date?

What type of garden do you have or are you considering?

Planting in soil

Raised beds

Containers

Edibles (like vegetables and herbs)

Ornamentals (like flowers)

Native garden

Greenhouse

What are the dimensions of the growing area in sq. ft.? can include garden pathways in estimate, exclude peripheral space such as grassy areas or sidewalks

What is the available sunlight?

2 to 4 hours per day

3 to 6 hours per day

6+ hours per day

How far is your water source from the garden? Example - within the garden or 20 feet away

Is the garden enclosed by a fence or structure?

Yes

No

Is there vegetation on site? weeds or plants that should be removed

Yes

No

What is your goal or purpose for this project? learning, edibles, ornamental, production, conservation, etc.

Is this a shared communal garden with the produce donated or is it allotment style where members maintain individual plots? Or both?

Communal

Allotment

Both

If communal, where is your produce donated? Please be specific.

Who will fund the garden? Select all that apply.

Garden Members

Community Sponsorships

Grants

Other

If "other" please describe sources of funding.

Who will install and maintain the garden?

If you intend to grow edibles directly in soil, have you had the soil tested?

Yes

No

Do you have written permission from the property owner to locate the garden on the site?

What type of guidance do you need?

Getting started - making a plan

General gardening knowledge

Resources

Plant and insect identification

On Site Assistance

In partnership with Forest Preserves of Cook County, Illinois Extension offers a Conservation@Home certification program in which Master Gardeners and Master Naturalists provide mentorship for school and community gardens. If interested in mentorship on native vegetation, water and wildlife conservation and environmental curriculum, please click 'yes' below.

Yes

No

Are there other specific needs that we could help with?

Please share any additional notes or comments about the project or worksite.

How did you hear about our programming?

Currently, University of Illinois Extension is not requiring our volunteers to be vaccinated against COVID-19, nor will we be asking for proof of vaccination in any capacity. Rather, we ask those who volunteer at partner sites to follow the guidelines/mandates set by that partner. Continuing to volunteer with partner sites that are mandating vaccination is determined by the individual volunteer. We are aware of current vaccination mandates designated by some of our partners and those partners will be responsible for ensuring volunteers are compliant with their policies. When we share volunteer opportunities from our partners, we will be sure to share any partner requirements for serving in that role.

Yes, I understand.

Civil Rights Compliance - Participant Info

As part of our commitment to providing equal opportunities in our programming, University of Illinois Extension is required to collect and report overall statistics about the race, ethnicity, and gender of program participants. Your responses are voluntary and appreciated.

Gender

Ethnicity

Race