A community garden. Does anyone have any experience with this?

[urban_mom]

I posted on my blog a picture of the vacant lot I'm considering for a community garden (we're in the city). Has anyone ever done this? I'm trying to research it all online, but I'm wondering about ideas like: can it be both a play space for kids and also a garden? What should the layout be? What elements should I include: raised beds, in-ground gardening, play area, sitting area? This would be a long-term project of course.

[clwcain]

I have no experience with it, but I though that Mel Bartholemew's thoughts were good, given his long experiences with them.

 

Check out his book Square Foot Gardening, the original version, not the updated. Most used bookstores I've been in have a copy, and my library has it, too.

 

The new book is mostly method and execution. The original book has a detailed explanation of his experiences with community gardens, double dug beds, and all the rest.

 

There is some information available on the website, but do check out his book.

[urban_mom]

I have no experience with it, but I though that Mel Bartholemew's thoughts were good, given his long experiences with them.

 

Check out his book Square Foot Gardening, the original version, not the updated. Most used bookstores I've been in have a copy, and my library has it, too.

 

The new book is mostly method and execution. The original book has a detailed explanation of his experiences with community gardens, double dug beds, and all the rest.

 

There is some information available on the website, but do check out his book.

 

experiences for sure! I'll reserve it at the library right now.

[Anne/Ankara]

I posted on my blog a picture of the vacant lot I'm considering for a community garden (we're in the city). Has anyone ever done this? I'm trying to research it all online, but I'm wondering about ideas like: can it be both a play space for kids and also a garden? What should the layout be? What elements should I include: raised beds, in-ground gardening, play area, sitting area? This would be a long-term project of course.

 

I admire you for doing this-- there's a nice looking community garden in Arlington VA that I think would be great fun to be involved with (but haven't been able to join them, unfortunately).

 

It reminds me of a great poster I saw recently, "How to Build Community," which includes "planting flowers" as a way to affirm how pleasant a neighborhood can be, with someone doing some gardening! Here is a link to the poster, which is filled with good ideas like that-- http://www.northernsun.com/n/s/4193.html

 

How to Build Community

 

The Building Community Poster reads: Turn off your TV. Leave your house. Know your neighbors, Look up when you are walking; Greet people; Sit on your stoop; Plant flowers; Use your library; Play together; Buy from local merchants; Share what you have; Help a lost dog; Take children to the park; Garden together; Support neighborhood schools; Fix it even if you didn't break it; Have pot lucks; Honor elders; Pick up litter; Read storeis aloud; Dance in the street; Talk to the mail carrier; Listen to the birds; Put up a swing; Help carry something heavy; Barter for your goods; Start a tradition; Ask a question; Hire young people for odd jobs; Organize a block party; Bake extra and share; Ask for help when you need it; Open your shades; Sing together; Share your skills; Take back the night; Turn up the music; Turn down the music; Listen before you react to anger; Mediate a conflict; Seek to understand; Learn from new and uncomfortable angles; Know that no one is silent athough many are not heard. Work to change this.

[Jean in Newcastle]

In our neck-of-the-woods there are many community "pea patches". They offer standard raised beds with a walkway between the beds and a wide middle aisle (beds are on both sides of the middle aisle). The beds are filled with good garden soil. Individuals sign up for a bed (or two). Of course everyone puts in the vegetables of their choice and maintains their own beds. Depending on the size of the lot there are one or more faucets for hooking up your hose for watering. Some people build little corrals/ lean - tos for their tools at the end of their row. The pea patch lot is fenced to keep out animals but the gate is not locked so that you can come in an use your lot at any time. The way this operates assumes a lot of honesty on the part of the community. Presumably anyone could come in and take someone's tools or even their harvest, though I've never heard of a complaint of that happening.

 

Edited: I just looked up our forms/agreements for the pea patches.

You can reserve 1 or 2 400 sq. foot pea patch for the season (April 15 - October 15 - these dates of course are suited for our particular climate). You must be a resident of a certain community (they tell you the boundaries of the community/town). You pay a $30 registration fee and a $25 pea patch fee per 400 sq. foot patch.

 

The administrators of the pea patch (in our area it is the county or town that does this) is in charge of assigning pea patches (if you apply soon enough you can reserve your same spot from year to year.) They try to assign Sr's and disabled gardeners spots close to the water sources. The administrators rototill the spots each fall after the season ends on Oct. 15th. They are responsible for paying for the water bill and supplying water to the site. If someone doesn't start planting by May 15 (one month after the season starts) the administrators can give away the patch to the next person on the list. Gardeners must fill in paperwork to reserve a spot (and to pay for it) and also fill out a standard "hold harmless agreement" to release the administrators from liability concerns.

[urban_mom]

In our neck-of-the-woods there are many community "pea patches". They offer standard raised beds with a walkway between the beds and a wide middle aisle (beds are on both sides of the middle aisle). The beds are filled with good garden soil. Individuals sign up for a bed (or two). Of course everyone puts in the vegetables of their choice and maintains their own beds. Depending on the size of the lot there are one or more faucets for hooking up your hose for watering. Some people build little corrals/ lean - tos for their tools at the end of their row. The pea patch lot is fenced to keep out animals but the gate is not locked so that you can come in an use your lot at any time. The way this operates assumes a lot of honesty on the part of the community. Presumably anyone could come in and take someone's tools or even their harvest, though I've never heard of a complaint of that happening.

 

Edited: I just looked up our forms/agreements for the pea patches.

You can reserve 1 or 2 400 sq. foot pea patch for the season (April 15 - October 15 - these dates of course are suited for our particular climate). You must be a resident of a certain community (they tell you the boundaries of the community/town). You pay a $30 registration fee and a $25 pea patch fee per 400 sq. foot patch.

 

The administrators of the pea patch (in our area it is the county or town that does this) is in charge of assigning pea patches (if you apply soon enough you can reserve your same spot from year to year.) They try to assign Sr's and disabled gardeners spots close to the water sources. The administrators rototill the spots each fall after the season ends on Oct. 15th. They are responsible for paying for the water bill and supplying water to the site. If someone doesn't start planting by May 15 (one month after the season starts) the administrators can give away the patch to the next person on the list. Gardeners must fill in paperwork to reserve a spot (and to pay for it) and also fill out a standard "hold harmless agreement" to release the administrators from liability concerns.

 

Wow! What a wealth of information. Thanks so much! I've been trying and trying to get the alderman's office to get back to me, so if they do I'll suggest some of these things. That sounds great. Thanks for being willing to write all that out and even look up your forms and agreements!