Arizona-based neighborhood gardening group Free Plant N Garden Stand (FPNGS) nurtures gardening culture in communities across US with free plant and seed exchanges.
The emerald-colored hutch on the edge of Rebecca Tims’ front yard in Tucson, Arizona, is a welcome respite for the eyes. But it was more than the bold color that caught the attention of two curious passing neighbors. To them, it was a cabinet of wonder. Pots of various sizes and colors, garden books, plant starts in small pots, and a drawer full of seeds filled their view. They asked about the display, and Tims explained the joy of watching things grow. The neighbors’ knowledge of plant science, however, was limited. They were elementary students. Vanity Cabinet Organizer
Tims sensed the excitement in these budding botanists. She gave each child a pot, soil, and tomato and green pepper plant starts. She offered guidance about when to transplant them and how much shade and water they’d need.
This interaction happened because of an online community with a dedicated physical presence, which has bloomed in yards like Tims’ across Arizona.
Aptly named Sprouting Shamrock Stand, Tims’ hutch is part of the Free Plant N Garden Stand (FPNGS) Facebook community. Members volunteer to host a stand on their property. The stands are a place for people to donate and obtain free seeds, cuttings, and plants. The group aims to grow gardening culture by connecting people who enjoy growing plants. The FPNGS Facebook page announces a community-building, you-can-do-it, all-are-welcome mission: “Get outside, grow your own food, and help others do the same. If you don’t know how, ask us.”
Tims joined the group in 2021. Her backyard garden is brimming in color from zucchini and raspberries to heirloom tomatoes and peppers and beyond. The Sprouting Shamrock Stand often contains seeds, starts, and harvests from her garden.
“We have a lot of kids in the neighborhood, a lot of retirees in the area,” said Tims. She established her stand to bring her community together. “Some new families just recently moved in. I thought it would be fun and exciting to get people interested in [FPNGS]. Being able to grow your own food and share that, and share that knowledge, I think, is what makes [the FPNGS group] so successful.”
Helping gardeners of all levels learn and share their skills is one of the benefits of the group. Most of the group’s administrators gardened and hosted seed and plant exchanges together for years. “It’s about our love of gardening. And we want to share it with our neighbors. That’s really where it started,” said DePhane Weaver, an FPNGS founding member, along with Anne Till, Silvia Messmer, and Deb Gain-Braley. Together, the longtime garden friends launched the FPNGS page in October 2020. What began with double-digit membership now has over 20,000 members and 150 stands.
“You don’t have to have anything [to offer] to take something, and there’s no requirement for garden expertise to be a stand host. Some stand hosts do it because they want to be involved in their community,” said Weaver.
Recognizing that growing plants can be daunting, Messmer said, “You can just start with a couple of pots on your patio and work your way up. You can learn from your successes and failures. And, really, we all started somewhere.”
As with any venture related to plants and gardening, hosting a stand takes work. The FPNGS group established a six-step process to help new hosts move from idea to engaging horticulture site.
Location is an essential element of business success. This crucial factor extends to plant and garden stands as well. The stand should be situated where visitors can easily share their items, such as near the street or sidewalk.
From bed frames to pallets to cabinets, stand creativity has no limit. However, shade and stability must be considered, given the potential damage from weather. Waterproof and windproof containers should be used for seeds and seed packets.
While stands are unique in many ways, signage is the common element. Hosts need to state that the plants and garden items are free. They should also post the rules of etiquette for the stands. For example, don’t block driveways, share more than you take, and never ring a host’s doorbell. Many hosts post their appreciation: “Thank you for supporting the stands. This is what keeps them open.”
Once the host has selected a location and constructed the stand, they inform the FFPNGS group administrators that the stand is ready for visitors. A number is assigned to the stand, and its address is included on the statewide list of stands and added to the group’s Google map. The final step is to announce the stand to the Facebook group.
Stand hosts often start with nothing but labeled bins and containers. A resource shared among the group are the free local seed libraries through public libraries. Another option, the nonprofit Community Seed Network, has an online map of seed-saving programs in each state.
New stand owners often find free garden items to populate their stands through the local newspaper and online markets such as the neighborhood network Nextdoor. Aside from plants and seeds, a list of items appropriate for the stands — such as paper egg cartons, zip-lock bags, labels, and coffee grounds — is on the FPNGS page.
To maintain the stands during extreme heat or cold, donations of non-plant items — garden art and books, watering cans, and garden pots — are encouraged. “We don’t let things go to the landfill,” said Weaver. “We recycle items and even repurpose old magazines [to make seed packets].”
Even unique salvaged donations with the potential for a new life in permaculture won’t move off a stand shelf without a marketing nudge. Stand hosts are encouraged to post photos of what’s available on their stand. Some create video reels with music to showcase their offerings, while others hold periodic giveaways to encourage members to visit their stands.
Marketing isn’t limited to stand hosts. Members help promote the stands they visit with a photographic “I was here” posted for the community — from both members who take an item and those who leave things. These posts give the stand hosts more donations and reminds the group what’s available at a particular stand.
The appreciation of hosts translates to support from the FPNGS community.
Nature is sometimes an unwelcome visitor the stands. “We’ve had a couple of calamities where people’s stands were wiped out,” Messmer said. “Next thing you know, people are bringing all kinds of donations, and the next day, their stand is full again. We help each other out that way.”
To assist hosts who travel or become ill, FPNGS established stand co-hosts. FPNGS members are ready to step up when needed because of a simple concept: They’re more than names on a screen. They’re members of a group that values their participation. A weekly post recognizes members by name.
This inviting atmosphere is evident in the responses from new members. One recent post reads, “I picked up my first goodies from this stand today! #55 in Tucson. I took a handful of the spring onions, a tiny little adorable cactus plant, and a few sprigs of oregano. I’m brand new to the area and love this idea! Can’t wait to start my own soon and give back.”
While the online community is robust, FPNGS puts equal effort into building in-person relationships. It accomplishes this through two core activities: stand tours and plant and seed exchanges.
The frequent tours allow stand hosts to connect in person and share best practices. Tours are also a chance for members to meet hosts. The tours are usually scheduled for about two hours on weekends. Visitors spend 20 minutes at each stand and then drive to the following nearby location. It may conclude with a potluck at the home of the last host on the tour.
Toward the end of the growing season, FPNGS members have another opportunity to meet. Seed and plant exchanges are held in fall and early winter. Bags of all shapes and sizes are labeled and placed on a table of donations at a member’s home. Attendees are asked to bring a food item to share. FPNGS collects and distributes open-pollinated seeds and plants and heirloom seeds. It doesn’t accept or distribute patented seeds or varieties protected under the Plant Variety Protection Act. The FPNGS online disclosure notes that seeds “available through us are a combination of commercially available seeds and those donated by the community and shared freely with interested growers.”
Early on, the Free Plant N Garden Stand group committed to a narrow focus: Stand development and operation. There’s a balance between being welcoming and concentrating on its intent. FPNGS is transparent with its community, and rules are posted for online and offline communication for all members.
The group’s success is also attributed to grassroots marketing. Since its inception, Weaver has communicated with members of Arizona gardening groups on Facebook to expand the group’s reach. Her outreach efforts are no longer limited to the Grand Canyon state. Plant stand groups in Texas, Maryland, and Oregon are also part of the FPNGS family.
Weaver also posts in countries with similar year-round gardening weather, such as Australia and Africa. “I joined [Facebook] garden groups in those countries and told them about FPNGS. I invited them to our page so they could see how it was run. They’re maybe not using the exact words, but I know that people are [establishing free plant stands] in other states or other countries, or they’re hearing about it and starting it, but how do people know that they’re there?” said Weaver. Thus, she likened the FPNGS Google map to bibliophiles who use the Little Free Library map to find free library locations across the globe when they travel.
The growth of the FPNGS group is akin to the dispersal of seeds in the wind. The group’s dedication to garden culture is spreading across the country. Ultimately, the hope is to reach worldwide to serve as a support mechanism for those who want to host stands. In December 2021, FPNGS became a nonprofit organization to meet these larger aims. FPNGS is a 501(c)(3) registered program fund through Legacy Global, which helps support those embarking on the charitable missions of their choice.
One of the FPNGS focuses is “to encourage permaculture and wildlife sustainably through information and tools for community and environmental development” and to connect “neighborhoods and communities through a shared love of colorful growth. We use charitable gifts to support these local gardeners, farmers, neighbors, and companies solely to maintain the [stand] locations, replenish donations, and motivate sharing.”
Last fall, FPNGS launched a new initiative: A traveling stand. The idea is to expand community interest in FPNGS. A member who hosts the traveling stand must take on the responsibility of managing it for one month. Weaver summarized the new initiative in a Facebook post: “If you have been thinking about starting a stand, this is your chance to see how you will enjoy it, the time it takes to manage (social media posts, keeping it tidy, etc.), along with how your neighbors will respond and see what a positive impact it makes in your neighborhood.”
Ecological educator David Holmgren echoes Weaver’s belief in a community’s influence on the natural world. In his book Permaculture: Principles & Pathways Beyond Sustainability, he writes, “Almost everyone active in the permaculture movement would agree that stronger development of co-operative relationships between people, families, and communities outside the large institutional structures is the perfect complement to personal and household self-reliance.”
For Gain-Braley, the ecological benefit of a stand begins with the humble seed. “We tell people to take [what’s on the stands] and plant it. And when you’ve got seeds or starts from that plant, put them out on any stand. That way, we get more people to plant things. If we could just get more gardens growing instead of concrete and rocks everywhere, everything that holds the heat, we’re all better off.”
Elizabeth Bellizzi is a freelance journalist. She’s a former volunteer at Arcadia Center for Sustainable Food and Agriculture in Virginia.
Originally published as “The Free Plant N Garden Stand: A Community Initiative” in the June/July 2023 issue of MOTHER EARTH NEWS and regularly vetted for accuracy.
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