Quadra Island Garden Share
Brought to you by the ICAN / Quadra Island Garden Club Food Security Team
- Do you need help with your garden this year?
- Do you want to help someone with their garden & gain something in return?
- Do you want to grow food but don’t have the space to do it?
- Do you have more space in your garden than you need & are willing to share?
- These are just some of the examples of how this program could benefit you!
The Quadra Island Garden Share is a new program to help make community connections in the world of gardening.
Who Can Participate?
Land Hosts:
You need help with your garden AND/OR you have space for someone else to have their own garden on your property
As a Land Host, your job is to provide the land, whether it be shared garden space with yourself and/or an independent plot. If you have a yard or a lawn, and are open to letting someone dig it up, you are an ideal candidate for this role. If you have some raised beds or an already-established garden area, that is a bonus!
Gardeners:
You want to help someone in their garden AND/OR you want a garden of your own on someone else’s property
- The expectations of the Gardener are not limited to completing the day-to-day tasks associated with maintaining a productive home garden (preparing the soil, seeding, planting, weeding, watering, harvesting, etc…) They also include:
- Providing your own Personal Protective Equipment (gloves, boots, rainwear, etc…)
- Providing your own transportation to the place where you will be gardening (We aim to get you as close as possible to your home)
- The responsibilities of the Gardener will vary and will lean heavily on how you and the Land Host come to your agreement.
You can participate in this program even if you don’t have a lot of gardening experience! There are a couple of things we can do to assist you:
- We can connect you with relevant community organizations. You can access learning resources, get in touch with experienced gardeners, and attend gardening-related workshops and events
- We can try to pair you up with a Land Host who has gardened in the past and is willing to take on a teaching role
**You will have a chance to tell us what works best for you when you fill out the online application.**
Working Together:
Land Hosts and Gardeners in this program have a lot of freedom when it comes to deciding what they want out of their partnership. They could choose to grow some ornamental flowers or plant some trees. A couple or a group of friends could garden together for one Land Host. A Gardener with an interest in carpentry could offer to build some raised beds for the person they are working with. Land Hosts who want to learn some gardening skills could ask the Gardener they are paired with to play more of a teaching role. These are just a few examples of how the basic model of a garden share could be expanded to better suit your needs and goals as a participant. There is no exchange of money for time and labour.
How It Works
The idea of a garden-share might seem a little confusing. You might be wondering how you will be matched with another participant or when you will decide what to grow. This page will hopefully answer all of those questions.
Sign up:
Timeframe: Now until April 15, 2023 (meeting the deadline is encouraged but late applications will still be considered)
You can sign up as either a Gardener (wanting independent garden space or to help someone with their garden) or a Land Host (with space to share or needing help in a garden) by going to the Sign Up page and filling out an online application form.
The Match:
Timeframe: April 16-22, 2023 (and as needed if new applications come in)
The program coordinators will look at all of the applications and try to match Gardeners to Land Hosts. If we find a match for you, we will email you the application of the person you are matched with. If we do not find a match, don’t despair! We will keep trying as new applications come in and we will keep you posted. We make no promises or guarantees but we will do our best to match people up.
The Trial Period:
Timeframe: You Decide (suggested: 2 weeks)
After you receive the application of the person you are matched with, it is up to you to contact them and get to know them. Think of this as a ‘trial period,’ a chance to figure out if you work well together. How you do this is up to you (a phone call, a Zoom meeting, a day of gardening together, etc). If you decide that you would like to be re-matched, please Contact Us as soon as possible. We will try our best to pair you with a different participant.
The Agreement:
Timeframe: When you are ready to make a commitment to your match (suggested: by May Long Weekend).
Once you have met your match and decided that you want to work together, we strongly suggest that you do the following:
Draft a written agreement that stipulates the terms and conditions of your partnership, sign it, and each keep a copy.
You can revise the agreement at any point throughout the growing season. Being gardeners ourselves, we know that things don’t always go according to plan. Conditions change and being able to adapt is crucial. But it is very helpful to have something written down that you can refer back to and revise as needed.
Sign Up
To sign up for the Quadra Island Garden Share Program, all you need to do is decide how you would like to be involved and fill out one of our application forms.
Deadline: April 15, 2023 (Meeting the deadline is encouraged but late applications will still be considered.)
Sign Up as a Land Host:
If you want to request a gardener to help you with your garden or give a gardener some garden space on your property.
Sign Up as a Gardener:
If you want to help someone in their garden or you want your own garden on someone else’s property.
The Agreement
Once you have met your match and decided that you want to work together, we strongly suggest that you do the following:
Draft a written agreement that stipulates the terms and conditions of your partnership, sign it, and each keep a copy.
The Agreement could include such things as:
- The size of the garden
- A crop plan (nothing too technical– just a list of the vegetables that will be grown, maybe some details about the quantities and varieties)
- A list of the tools, materials, inputs, and implements that will be required
- An estimated budget
- A plan for how the produce will be shared throughout the season
- Any ‘add-ons’ to the basic garden-sharing model (i.e. construction projects, knowledge sharing, etc…)
You can revise the agreement at any point throughout the growing season. Being gardeners ourselves, we know that things don’t always go according to plan. Conditions change and being able to adapt is crucial. But it is very helpful to have something written down that you can refer back to and revise as needed.
Resources
Here are some links you might find helpful.
Contact Us
This program is run by Volunteer Coordinator Rena Patrick, with help from founders Katie May & Jen Banks-Doll under the auspices of the ICAN/Quadra Island Garden Club Food Security Team.
Have questions? Suggestions? Get in Touch!
Email us at QIGardenshare@gmail.com or call Rena Patrick at (250) 204-2773