The North Coast Community Garden Collaborative (“Garden Collaborative”) formed in the spring of 2009 when managers of several community gardens came together to see how we might assist each other. We envisioned creating a network of autonomous community gardens and supportive residents who could share resources, like tools, seeds, ideas, experiences, and people power. As more and more community members and partners got on board, the Garden Collaborative grew rapidly in its first year, starting 8 new gardens and linking up with over a dozen more. The Garden Collaborative currently is based in Eureka, CA and we work primarily with community gardens in Humboldt County, with growing interest from Del Norte, Trinity, and Siskiyou Counties.
There are many definitions used for community gardens; our focus is on communal spaces that are dedicated to community-based agricultural production and generally are non-commercial. Community gardens are pieces of land set aside for community members to grow food for themselves, their families, and their communities. Community gardens include neighborhood gardens, gardens which grow food for food distribution centers, and school gardens.