Garden Guidance Notes

Do I have to pay to be part of the Garden Share scheme?

It costs nothing to be matched up with a garden owner or gardener.  Who pays for the gardening costs themselves (seeds, tools, compost etc) are agreed by the owner and gardener in the garden share contract.

Do you check for references from gardeners?

We will be asking for a reference from gardeners, a simple check to see that they are who they say they are.

Do I need insurance?

No.  The garden share contract between the garden owner and gardener requires the gardener to agree to “take all reasonable care to avoid damaging the owner’s property, to tell the owner if I cause any accidental damage, and to pay for the cost of repairs or replacements that are necessary because of damage I cause” and “accept that I work at my own risk and will not hold the owner responsible for any injury I suffer whilst working on the plot”.

What if I want to be a gardener but have no experience of gardening?

Not a problem. We’ll pair you with someone who is happy with this, and put you in touch with local gardening enthusiasts to help you get started.

As a garden owner can I find a gardener just to help around my garden a bit? What if I only want ornamental plants grown?

Ashtead Garden Share is a scheme for increasing local food production, so if you are looking for general help or want to grow ornamental plants this is not the scheme for you.

As a gardener when will I have access to the garden? How will I get in? Will I have a key so I can go in when I want?

This are questions to discuss with the garden owner and be agreed as part of the garden share contract.  It may be that the garden owner will always be present for the first few times you garden, but other arrangements will be worked out when you know each other better.

Who provides/pays for tools, seeds, materials, etc?

These are questions for the garden owner and gardener to discuss and be agreed as part of the garden share contract.  Generally it will be expected that the gardener will pay for the materials.

What if I’m not happy with the way things are working out?

The scheme is always there to help if you feel things are not working out as you expected. We hope that any minor problems will be sorted out between garden owner and gardener. But you always have the option of withdrawing yourself from the scheme, or asking for another pairing.