Community Gardens

More and more people are discovering the pleasure of gardening because of the opportunity to grow vegetables in a community garden. Gardeners enjoy harvesting, preparing, eating or preserving the fruits of their labor. Many gardens are planted to help feed the hungry. Often, low income people work the gardens too with the help of the experienced gardeners. It is fitting that we can share our knowledge and skills with others, because in this land of plenty, there is no excuse for people to have to go hungry or to be unhealthy.

The cost of fresh vegetables at the grocery store are out of the reach for those who are low-income or on a fixed income. Poverty can lead to obesity because moms can feed their families cheaply with the fast food value meal. If community gardens are established, they can provide healthy vegetables inexpensively when those income folks are taught how to garden and raise their own food.

I would like to share an article with you about the difference made in a community that operates a community garden. In this example folks pay $5. to become a member, then they work at the garden, and receive the delicious vegetables wrought from their labor.

Is anyone involved in such a community garden? How did you start it? What is your source of funds? Are you having success or failure? Are you interested in establishing a community garden? With just that small bit of hope and vision, great things can and DO happen.

Plant Rye in Your Garden

My DH planted rye last week in the garden. It will winter over and grow again in the spring. He will turn it under next spring to add nitrogen to the soil. Rye is such a fast grower. Plant it and it seems it pops up green in a couple of days. Try and plant it when you hear a shower is forecast so you won't have to water it in the ground.

A reliable weather man/woman is a gardener's best friend. Not only do they help you know when to water or not water, but also to alert you to when the first frost and killing frost will occur so that you can get your veggies in before losing them to the cold.

Rye in the foreground, broccoli on left and strawberry plants for next spring.

Rye. tomato plants, sunflowers weighed down with seeds

Pumpkins look lonesome in this corner of the garden.

National Community Gardening Week

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack proclaimed August 23-29 National Community Gardening Week. A community garden is an opportunity to educate everyone about where food comes from, either a Farmers Market or a garden. This exposure to growing our own food is important to generations of healthy eaters.

The People's Garden is located on the grounds of the USDA Headquarters in Washington, D.C. It is the nation's demonstration plot that puts into action the gardening concepts that the USDA emphasizes--providing healthy food, air, water quality. The plot offers the opportunity to teach environmentally responsible practices and offers exhibits for the public. Read more about it at The People's Garden site at http://www.usda.gov/peoplesgarden

Perhaps it would be a good time to look around your community to establish a community garden next year. We have several active, thriving farmers markets in our county, but I am not aware of a community garden.

Do you have any experience with community gardens? If so, perhaps you can share here and give us some info on how this works. Thanks.