When Joe Rogot began his quest to create a community garden, red tape seemed more likely in his future than brown earth.

But within 48 hours of contacting the New Rochelle parks and recreation department about unused land at Ward Acres, he found himself the sole master of his own public plot–and at a bit of a loss.

"I suddenly thought, what do I do now," he said.

Rogot was one of about 200 people who converged on the County Center in White Plains on Sunday to take part in the first ever Westchester Community Garden Network.

Despite the expanse of the get together, promoting local sustainability means keeping communication simple, according to the Bedford/Katonah organizers of the event.

"We hope this will be the first of many conversations," said Roseann Rutherford of InterGenerate, a community gardening initiative.

Communities once relied on each other and pooled their knowledge to get the most out of the land, she said.

With plots currently at the Marsh Sanctuary and John Jay Homestead, its 175 members center their community building interactions around gardening, cooking and learning from each other. But it must take a miracle to get anything from cash-strapped local governments these days.

Not asking for money is the best way to start, Rogot said as he shared his experience.

He would just show up with his pickaxe and the curious stopped to see what he was up to.  Now 44 families later, he's not surprised that he's never found himself alone on the plot.

"It's not about vegetables, it's about people," he said.

Of course, it never hurts to plan based on the specifics of each community.

Determine what shape you want the garden to take by knowing your community and getting the specs on the issues relevant to the town, said Chris Roberts of Slow Food Westchester.

At SUNY Purchase, Julie Vanderlee and her student gardening club has gained that type of insight into the school's decision-making process. Currently with eight plots on campus and soon another quarter of an acre, her group of 20 is promoting environmental sustainability among the student body. 

On the other hand, as they sell produce on campus, their little land grab requires a bit of Business 101 to stay in the ground.

"We're now working on being financially sustainable," she said.