If you are interested in “going green” the old-fashioned way—by growing your own food and tending your own land—chances are your neighbors may have a similar interest. You can plant and tend a community garden with minimal investment of time and money, and when you reap your harvest, you can help out your local food banks by making a donation every week or so. Planting a garden is a great way for kids to learn hands-on about conservation, nutrition and environmental stewardship. It’s also terrific exercise!
Find a Plot
Even if you live in an urban area, there are ways to grow food. A carefully mapped out raised container garden can produce as many tomatoes, cucumbers and zucchinis as a backyard plot. Wherever you plant, though, you will need to make sure the soil is balanced, the plants will be accessible for grooming and they will have plenty of sunlight and water.
Send our fliers to your friends and neighbors to let them know of your intention to start a community garden. Include your plans, a list of possible vegetables you want to grow, your phone number or contact information and a suggested meeting date, place and time.
Once the garden is underway, build a raised container using non-pressure treated wood and filling it with organic soil. If you are planting in the ground, mark off an area the size you want the garden to be. It is best not to be too ambitious your first time around, and smaller gardens will be easier for first-timers to manage. If you are working ahead of season, you may fertilize the soil with an organic fish oil spray or manure, then cover the entire area with shredded newspapers, and dampen them down. When spring arrives, mulch the newsprint into the soil, and till thoroughly by hand or with a tilling machine.
Using stakes and string, mark your rows evenly, and dig small trenches on either side of the line created in the soil. Cover each row with a long strip of lawn cloth or black plastic sheeting.
Plant Your Seeds
If you’re planning to keep this garden going for more than one season, you’ll want to purchase heirloom seeds or organic seedlings from heirloom plants. This will ensure that the seeds produced from your harvest will be useable year after year. (Most store-bought seeds are genetically coded to die out after one or two harvests.)
Read the package instructions, poke holes in the sheeting and space seeds accordingly. Use the end of a pencil eraser to make seed holes, and plant them just under the soil level, where they will feel the warmth of the sun. Cover with soil, and water well, but do not drown the seeds! They should be entirely moist and saturated, but they should not be floating.
If you are not planning on using pesticides, stagger plant types a few at a time, so that no one type of bug will be particularly attracted to an area. Look for compatible plant types –such as tomatoes and peppers—to plant side by side. Check out a gardening book from the library, or visit gardening sites online to find out which plants are friends and which ones are foes to one another.
Maintain and Tend the Garden
If you get rain at least a couple of times a week, your plants should not require too much watering. For dry spells, water the plants in the morning, before the sun is high in the sky, or in the evening, when the moisture can sink into the soil overnight without risk of evaporation.
Stake any heavy, tall vegetable plants as needed, being careful not to “strangle” the stems by leaving room for growth. (Use stretchable material for binding stakes.)
Remove any weeds with a hoe or by hand, and add fertilizer as needed once or twice a season. Use organic fertilizer, and do not over fertilize, as this can ruin the balance of properties in the soil for future plantings.
Share and Enjoy the Harvest!
When your veggies are ripe, pick them carefully, and prune any overgrown plants. Have a neighborhood picking and harvest party, and donate the excess harvest to your local food banks. Enjoy nature’s bounty, and start planning for next year's crop!
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