Planning — lease in progress
CCE Community Garden (One Acre)
Lease and clear a neglected one-acre parcel by hand, protect its native plants, and grow food to share with the community and a nearby food bank.
Where this stands
Planning — the lease with the landowner is in progress and the parcel has not been selected. There is a hold point in the plan, and it is a real one: no volunteer clearing happens until the lease is signed, utilities are marked, protection zones are flagged, hazards are screened and the soil plan is approved.
About this project
CCE Community Garden (One Acre)
This is a different piece of ground from Sweetwater. CCE is working to lease a neglected one-acre parcel, clear it by hand rather than with machinery, and turn it into a garden that feeds people.
Nothing happens on the land until the paperwork and the surveys are done. The plan's hold point is explicit: no volunteer clearing until the lease is signed, utilities are marked, protection zones are flagged, hazards are screened, and the soil plan is approved. Mature native plants and trees are mapped and protected before any ground is disturbed.
Once the soil has been tested and cleared, CCE establishes food production and shares the harvest with the community and a food-bank partner, keeping a crop log so the yield is a number rather than an impression.
The tools and personal protective equipment for this are priced: $2,412.23 including contingency, checked on 22 October 2026. It does not include the lease, fencing or water repairs, soil testing, seeds and starts, amendments, a shed, utilities, paid staff, contractor clearing, debris disposal, or food-grade harvest bins.
The work
What it actually takes
How it runs, in phases
- Phase 0 — Confirm the site before any volunteer recruitment
- Phase 1 — Survey and protect, before clearing or planting food
- Phase 2 — Lay out the garden after the survey
- Phase 3 — Manual clearing across multiple workdays, with the count set after a site walk
- Phase 4 — Establish production after the soil is cleared
- Phase 5 — Operate, and share the crops weekly or fortnightly
- Select a food-bank partner and the crops to grow
- Keep the crop log and review the measures monthly
What is needed
What this project needs
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A parcel and a signed lease
The single thing blocking everything else. A qualifying one-acre parcel, five or more years uncared for, with food-growing safety and a landowner willing to sign.
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Clearing and bed-preparation volunteer — 16 needed
Hand clearing, raking, approved light pruning, moving materials and bed preparation. Four teams of four, on four-hour workday shifts.
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Garden maintenance and harvest volunteer — 12 needed
Watering, weeding, bed care, harvest packing and distribution setup. Three teams of four, weekly or fortnightly.
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A site coordinator and team leads
One site coordinator with stop-work authority, four clearing team leads and three maintenance team leads, one of them the designated first-aid lead.
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The $2,412.23 tool and PPE kit
Donated, discounted or funded. The kit is priced and ready to buy.
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A food-bank partner
Someone to receive the harvest and confirm what they can take.
The money
The tools and PPE estimate
- Tools and PPE subtotal: $2,192.94
- 10% purchasing contingency: $219.29
- Estimated startup purchase total: $2,412.23, prices checked 22 October 2026
- Not included: lease costs, fence and water repairs, soil testing, seeds and starts, amendments, a shed, utilities, paid staff, contractor clearing, debris disposal, or food-grade harvest bins
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Proposed for March 28 – April 3, 2027
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