What to Buy for a Planting Day
A planting day needs more than plants and a few spades. You will need materials for preparing the beds, moving soil, labelling plants, watering new planting and keeping volunteers safe. Plan food and drinks separately from the gardening supplies, especially if people are working for several hours. This list brings together the items to buy or bring, including the supplies that are often arranged too late: compost, waste bags, plant supports, gloves and temporary watering equipment.
What to bring
Grouped the way you'd shop for it, with quantities.
Furniture
- Party tentsqty 2
- Foldable tablesqty 8
- Folding chairsqty 40
- High tablesqty 4
- Workbenchesqty 4
- Tableclothsqty 8
Gardening equipment
- Shovelsqty 12
- Scoopsqty 10
- Rakesqty 8
- Hoesqty 6
- Hand shovelsqty 12
- Hand rakesqty 8
- Pruning shearsqty 6
- Wheelbarrowsqty 4
- Bucketsqty 12
- Watering canqty 6
- Garden hosesqty 2
- Spray nozzlesqty 2
- Plant labelsqty 80
- Plant stakesqty 40
- Binding twineqty 3
- Weed matsqty 4
- Garden waste bagsqty 30
- Potting soilqty 20
- Compostqty 15
- Tree barkqty 10
- Perennial plantsqty 80
- Shrubsqty 20
- Herb plantsqty 30
Safety
- Work glovesqty 40
- Safety gogglesqty 12
- Reflective vestsqty 8
- First aid kit
- Bandagesqty 2
- Hand sanitizerqty 4
Equipment
- Cordless drill driversqty 2
- Extension cordsqty 3
- Power stripsqty 3
Lighting
- LED lampsqty 6
- String lightsqty 4
Decorations
- Welcome signsqty 2
- Route arrowsqty 8
- Info boardsqty 4
- Chalkboardsqty 3
Tableware
- Reusable cupsqty 80
- Platesqty 60
- Cutlery setsqty 60
- Serving spoonsqty 8
- Coffee cupsqty 40
Kitchen
- Barbecueqty 2
- Barbecue tongsqty 4
- Cutting boardsqty 4
- Knivesqty 6
- Coolersqty 4
- Thermos flasksqty 4
- Kettlesqty 2
Cleaning
- Waste binsqty 6
- Waste sorting bagsqty 30
- Cleaning spongesqty 6
- Washing-up tubsqty 3
Catering
- Groceries
- Hamburgers - 50 pieces
- Vegetarian burgers - 20 pieces
- Chicken skewers - 40 pieces
- Corn cobs - 25 pieces
- Hamburger buns - 70 pieces
- Baguettes - 10 pieces
- Garlic butter - 6 tubs
- Iceberg lettuce - 6 heads
- Tomatoes - 5 kilos
- Cucumbers - 4 pieces
- Bell peppers - 3 kilos
- Red onions - 1 kilo
- Mushrooms - 3 kilo
- Zucchini - 8 pieces
- Potato salad - 6 kilos
- Pasta salad - 6 kilos
- Raw vegetables - 5 kilos
- Hummus - 10 tubs
- Herb butter - 6 tubs
- Mayonnaise - 3 bottles
- Ketchup - 3 bottles
- Barbecue sauce - 3 bottles
- Mustard - 2 bottles
- Salt - 2 packs
- Pepper - 2 jars
- Paprika powder - 2 jars
- Italian herbs - 2 jars
- Olive oil - 2 liters
- Butter - 4 packs
- Cheese slices - 3 kilos
- Vegan cheese slices - 1 kilo
- Paprika chips - 8 bags
- Plain chips - 8 bags
- Tortilla chips - 6 bags
- Salsa - 6 jars
- Peanuts - 4 bags
- Apples - 5 kilo
- Bananas - 4 kilos
- Grapes - 4 kilos
- Water - 12 bottles
- Sparkling water - 8 bottles
- Cola - 8 bottles
- Cola Zero - 6 bottles
- Sinas - 6 bottles
- Lemonade - 6 bottles
- Non-alcoholic beer - 24 bottles
- Beer - 48 bottles
- White wine - 8 bottles
- Red wine - 6 bottles
- Coffee - 3 packs
- Tea - 2 boxes
- Sugar - 2 packs
- Milk - 6 liters
- Oat milk - 4 liters
- Lemons - 2 kilos
- Ice cubes - 10 kilos
- Barbecue charcoal - 20 kilo
- Firelighters - 2 boxes
- Napkins - 200 pieces
- Aluminum foil - 4 rolls
- Cling film - 2 rolls
- Baking paper - 2 rolls
- Paper towels - 8 rolls
- Dish soap - 3 bottles
- All-purpose cleaner - 2 bottles
- Cleaning wipes - 3 packs
- Sponges - 2 packs
- Trash bags - 50 pieces
- Toilet paper - 24 rolls
- Hand soap - 4 bottles
- Nitrile gloves - 2 boxes
- Flashlight batteries - 2 packs
Tips
- Allow roughly 2–3 litres of water per participant for a half-day session, then add extra if the forecast is warm or the new plants cannot be watered from a hose.
- Buy compost and potting soil only after checking the planting plan and bed inventory; otherwise, bags are often ordered for the wrong number of beds or plant types.
- Provide one pair of work gloves per volunteer, plus at least 10% extra pairs for forgotten gloves, damaged gloves or late arrivals.
- Bring enough labels, stakes and binding twine to identify every plant group before planting starts. Keep a marker with these supplies so labels are not left blank.
- Arrange garden-waste bags and waste collection before the planting day. Keep the bags near the beds, but away from the food and drink tables, and allow at least one collection point for each main work area.
Frequently asked questions
- What should I buy for a community planting day?
- Buy the planned plants, compost, potting soil and any bark or weed mats required for the beds. You will also need digging and raking tools, watering equipment, labels, stakes, twine, gloves, garden-waste bags, and food and drinks for the volunteers.
- How much food and drink do I need for planting day?
- For the first hour, allow 2–3 drinks per person, then provide water throughout the work. For food, plan at least one substantial portion per participant, plus around 10% extra for volunteers who arrive without registering.
- How many gardening tools are needed per volunteer?
- Aim for one hand tool per person and one larger tool for every 3–4 volunteers. Provide extra shovels, rakes and watering cans when the group is spread across several planting beds, so people are not waiting to share equipment.
- When should I order plants, soil and compost?
- Confirm the planting plan and permissions before ordering. Place the plant order and arrange soil and compost at least 1–2 weeks before planting day, with delivery scheduled early enough to check the plants and keep them watered temporarily if necessary.
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