Community Gardens and Growing Vegetables

Reasons for Community Gardens

• Community gardens turn vacant, abandoned and often neglected lots, open space and land into a fruitful space for fresh produce and plants. They're especially useful in the urban landscape where citizens may not have land or space available to grow their own veggies. Vegetable gardens provide food for their members and the community, and workers establish and nourish a sense of civil duty and community leadership and are rewarded with fruits, vegetables and herbs. It also gives families from different ethnic backgrounds the opportunity to grow ethnic foods not available at local grocers. Community gardens also improve air quality, and they can deter crime when high-risk vacant spots are used.

Getting Started

• There are plenty of factors to consider before starting a community garden. Form a planning committee to determine the need and desire for a vegetable garden in your community, and decide who it will serve --- if it's geared toward families, kids or senior citizens, for instance. Choose a garden coordinator with cultivating --- and preferably management --- experience. Make a list of your needs and assign committees to tackle them. Name your garden, develop a budget and establish a mailing address and contact information. You also need to choose and prepare a site, which includes testing soil, removing any possible contamination, cleaning and garden layout.

Growing Vegetables

• Many communities have local organizations who reach out to community gardens with planning and keeping up a vegetable garden. Ally yourself with organizations in your community, and make sure your garden is listed in their directory. Decide if you need raised beds due to poor soil or drainage in your space. If you're not dividing land up into individual plots, plan a garden that features vegetables that grow well in your area, or take a survey from your prospective members to see what vegetables they'd use the most. Try to plan for having some sort of crop being harvested year-round if you live in a warmer climate where this is viable. Contact your local agricultural extension for information on when and how to plant, or have a committee with experienced gardeners design it.

Managing the Garden

• The better you communicate your garden's mission, rules and guidelines, the better managed it will be. Make sure members know exactly how much it costs to be a member and what it includes. Specify minimum requirements for planting, how long the garden must be planted and any special requirements such as organic veggies. Have members agree to keep the garden clean, grow crops in designated places, volunteer or farm a certain number of hours and not hold the garden group or land owners liable for any damages or losses. Make sure organization leaders are active in enforcing guidelines and are available to help new gardeners or solve specific problems.