Gardeners at the North Hollywood Community Garden are part of a partnership with the Agricultural Program at NHHS. It is not an “ordinary” community garden where gardeners pay a fee for their plot, remain anonymous, and autonomously go in and out of the garden. In our Garden, each gardener contributes to the overall upkeep of the entire garden, provides maintenance assistance through community service hours, participates in volunteer activities, and enjoys the camaraderie of our Garden and their fellow gardeners. Through the responsiveness of our membership, and the contributions we make (both in manpower and in dollars) in support of the school and the agricultural program, we survive, learn and flourish. We owe a great debt to the school for allowing us to continue to garden on their property, and we take seriously the responsibilities that come with the privilege of gardening here.
In addition to being assigned individual plots, each gardener agrees to contribute to maintaining the orderliness, the efficiency and the beauty of the Garden overall, assists in some way with joint Garden events with the school to promote our educational role or by reaching out to solicit supplies, write grants, and build relationships with vendors to help the Garden meet its needs.
With all this in mind, when a gardener signs up to be a North Hollywood Community Gardener, that gardener is taking on more than an individual gardening plot – he or she is signing up to add their energy to making our Community Garden thrive.