I love the idea of community gardens. In addition to decreasing obesity by increasing activity and making healthy foods more available, they get people outside and interacting with one another, which can help reduce depression and help reduce obesity in that manner also. I would be willing to help set it up.

One way to make it more sustainable year round is to have a monthly educational piece as well. In the fall it might be on how to properly store produce to make it last, such as harvesting the green tomatoes and wrapping them in newspapers so you have fresh tomatoes until Thanksgiving, and how to store root crops and squashes so they will last. Many items are also quick and easy to freeze and retain a lot of flavor and nutrients when frozen. In the winter you can have classes on sprouting and growing lettuces, herbs and mushrooms indoors. Classes on planting fruit and nut bearing trees and shrubs to beautify your yard (even a small city yard) and to provide fresh fruits and nuts would be helpful also. Blueberries, cherries, plums, and hazelnuts are beautiful examples. Strawberries also make an excellent ground cover for a small city lot yard (and then you don't have to mow either). Example plantings could be done around schools to educate the students and community members.

It might also be possible to have a small greenhouse set up in the community garden to extend the season. This may be a later development after the initial garden(s) is set up.

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