I have offered my yard for the use of a group of gardeners (master gardeners working on community service hours, plus other volunteers like me, doing it for fun). The space is fairly large and I have never really used all that could be devoted to growing veggies, so I thought I would invite these others to come in and see what we could come up with. My question is, "Has anyone ever done this type of community garden before?"

We will be meeting to plan, then sharing chores like tilling, planting, weeding, and such. The produce will be divided part among us, but the bulk (assuming we will be productive) of it will go to "Society of Good Samaritans," a local church-related pantry, and perhaps other faith-based pantries.

I am just wondering if others have had this particular set-up, and what should I be concerned about with people coming into my yard. I live out in the country near the end of a dead-end road, so I don't think it's a problem for theivery. I have a fence, but not a gate. We do have deer and rabbits, so we are going to build a temporary fence around the rows themselves. I guess it will have to be removeable, since we will have to till twice a year. We want a fall/winter garden and a spring/summer garden.

Water is available nearby and we have a well.

Oh, yeah, I compost like a maniac. Leaves, shredded paper, coffee grounds from the local coffee shop, etc. Our soil is poor, so we do this for a healthy amendment.

What else do I need to be concerned about?

Thanks for any help you more experienced community gardeners can offer.

-- Marie