Sharing a Garden

Teaming up with a friend to grow a vegetable garden could be a perfect fix if one of you has land and the other is short on space. Community gardens are popular for neighborhood use, but what about garden sharing with one friend or close neighbor?

Teaming up with a friend to grow a vegetable garden could be a perfect fix if one of you has land and the other is short on space. Community gardens are popular for neighborhood use, but what about garden sharing with one friend or close neighbor?

Before you donate your space for a neighbor’s use or donate your time to working in someone else’s plot, keep a few things in mind. Just like any legal agreement, you should hammer out the details before you move forward. Here’s what to discuss:

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• What will you grow?

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• Organic or non-organic?

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• What will it look like?

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• Will there be a definite split between “yours” and “theirs” or will you both tend to the whole garden?

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• Who gets to eat what vegetables? And how much of them?

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• What hours can you come by to work in the garden? (If it’s not your yard.)

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• Where will tools be stored?

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• How will you split costs for fertilizers, pesticides, plants, water, etc.?

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• What happens if the garden is neglected?

Also figure out a plan for when you’re done sharing garden space, for the season or permanently. Consider what may happen if one or both of you moves away. Although these steps are not part of the traditional garden planning process, drawing some lines in the sand (or soil) could help you save a friendship if something goes wrong.