In a Cooperative/Collective/Communal Garden, the entire space is maintained by a group, collaboratively sharing the work, decision making, and the harvest, in contrast to a Community Garden with individually maintained plots. (This is often the model used by a Donation or Giving Garden--see below--in which most or all of the harvest is donated.) While some work might be done alone, these gardens often have shared workdays so members can enjoy each other’s company; building community relationships is often a stated intention.

Title: Collective Gardening Collaboration: Tools for Resilience
Sponsoring Organization: Vermont Community Garden Network (VCGN)
Description: In October 2021, the Vermont Community Garden Network and ShiftMeals launched a project to increase awareness of and resources for collective gardening. The project has several components that will be unfolding over the next year and a half, including: a training for existing and potential garden organizers, a supportive network of collective gardeners, and a public communications campaign with the goal of making “collective gardening” a commonly understood concept.

In addition, a search of the VCGN website for the term "collective" will turn up examples of this type of garden.