Community Guidelines

Garden Roots is built on the belief that gardening brings people together. Our mission is to inspire, teach, and connect gardeners around the world while helping more people grow their own food. To keep this community welcoming and helpful, we ask everyone to follow these guidelines.

1. Be Kind and Supportive

Gardening is a journey of continuous learning, filled with both bountiful harvests and failed crops. Celebrate every success, no matter how small. Be patient with beginners, offer encouragement when someone's plants are struggling, and always interact with kindness. Negative, insulting, or condescending behavior has no place here.

2. Share Knowledge Generously

When answering questions, aim to teach rather than simply providing a quick fix. Explain the "why" behind your advice. Sharing your personal experiences—both what worked and what didn't—helps the entire community grow better together.

3. Respect Privacy

Gardens are personal spaces. Respect others' privacy by not sharing exact locations, personal contact information, or photos of other people's property without their explicit consent.

4. No Spam or Self-Promotion

We are a community, not a marketplace. Please refrain from posting commercial spam, excessive self-promotion, or affiliate links. Occasional sharing of relevant, helpful resources is fine, but it should not be the primary purpose of your account.

5. Photo Guidelines

Keep photos relevant to gardening, nature, and the outdoors. We want to see your seedlings, your harvests, and even your pests! Ensure your photos are appropriate for all ages and accurately depict the plant or issue you are discussing.

6. Plant Identification Accuracy

When helping others identify plants, pests, or diseases, be as scientifically accurate as possible. If you are unsure, it's okay to guess, but make sure to state that it's a guess. Misidentifying certain plants (especially foragers) can be dangerous.

7. Reporting Issues

If you see content or behavior that violates these guidelines, please report it. Our team reviews reports to maintain a safe and nurturing environment. Do not engage in public arguments; let the moderation team handle conflicts.

8. Consequences of Violations

We take these guidelines seriously. Violations may result in content removal, temporary account suspension, or permanent banning from the Garden Roots community, depending on the severity of the infraction. Let's work together to make Garden Roots feel like coming home.