Urbanites, keep your eyes open - finding free gardens

When I lived in town, I was lucky enough to have an allotment, but many of my fellow homesteading spirits stuffed in concrete boxes didn't.  For them, there was other people's gardens.  

Like this ad I stumbled on today (I use the way back machine because these pages usually vanish in a few months)

(also a hint for people placing ads DON't put your personal data like cell number on these things as the internet is forever!)

Are you stuck in the Condo and needing to garden? If you are wanting to get your hands dirty, we have the perfect solution.
We are taking ideal candidate for sharing our organic garden. We only want one person or a married couple.
We have a garden already tilled, fenced and ready for planting. It is about 20 X 40 feet. We also have free well water.
You can drive right up to the garden. We are on an acre.
It is in.....
We are considering have a share crop deal. The garden is fenced so no issues with Deer or Rabbits.
We need someone that has a green thumb and does not mind weeding. It is full of weeds and is a Lasagna garden (raised beds)
I don’t have time this year to tend the garden.
Plant anything you like. Beets, lettuce, carrots, onions, garlic, arugula, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, beans, carrots, cauliflower, cucumbers, kale,

There is hope out there for access to a garden and homegrown food even living in town.  

What agreat idea.
There may be many gardens that people can longer tend but would love somebody to get involved.
How would you find such people and gardens?
Contact old folks clubs?

I see ads like this (both in search of, and gardener wanted) in the local classifieds every week.  It's usually gone in a day, so there are a lot of takers.  I bet there are loads more out there that don't bother to post an ad.  

r ranson wrote:I see ads like this (both in search of, and gardener wanted) in the local classifieds every week.  It's usually gone in a day, so there are a lot of takers.  I bet there are loads more out there that don't bother to post an ad.  

There are, but some aren't the deal they look to be. Imagine working all Spring to find the gate locked in Summer. I'd recommend anyone coming across something like this gets the details of the agreement written up into a somewhat informal contract. That is my intention before moving forward with similar endeavors, but I haven't the example to show currently.

John C Daley wrote:What agreat idea.
There may be many gardens that people can longer tend but would love somebody to get involved.
How would you find such people and gardens?
Contact old folks clubs?

Some of the best ones are harder to find, but it's easy enough to walk around a neighborhood and notice an untended garden. A postcard might be the best way to approach talking with them. They have a lot of 'weed' laws in the cities now, which make it a little easier to get in.  I used to walk around and just talk to people about their yards, if I noticed something that needed talking about. Nowadays, they've outlawed that here without special permits so I can't even walk around without getting harassed by law enforcement agencies trying to fleece whoever they can.  As someone who does a lot of free work, and gives a lot of free advice, I can't afford to pay 200$/6mo.. Nor am I going to pay to be scrutinized or questioned by police about my business dealings or activities. A lot of the newer ordinances and laws seem very PS to me, right down to having to wear 'badges' as a solicitor. There's an old saying about giving up freedom for the illusion of safety, but I don't want to misquote it.

It's like anything we get for free.  Some are great deals, some aren't.  It's very much up to the individual to know their needs and to have good communication with the landowner.  

Here is a copy of a suggested agreement
Garden use agreement