73. My Thoughts on Starting a Community Garden

Community gardens are a garden space, usually raised beds, in an urban area with the idea of sharing healthy, homegrown food with others. It is usually headed up and organized by one person or a small group of people. It may be funded by an organization, a city government or the group of people that run it. The maintenance and upkeep of the garden is usually done by the neighbors surrounding the garden or the owners of the garden.

As some of you may know, I run the community garden at my church. The garden is located beside the church and is made up of 22 raised beds. We mainly grow common food that’s found in a summer garden. I usually head up most of the layout and design of the space each year. This year we actually got a donation of plants that helped out a ton. We hold a couple planting days in late April/early May so that others can get involved. We are hoping to donate a lot of the produce this year to a local food pantry.

There is a couple key things I would say need to be taken into consideration if you are wanting to start one for your community or organization. Let’s talk about why I think these are important.

Seek Out a Good Space

Before you really get going with your plan for the garden, you need to make sure you find a good location for it. This includes things like how much sun does it get and does it meet city ordnances. Take the time to consider these key things before you commit to placing a garden in a specific spot.

Most summer crops require at least 6 hours of sunlight but the more you can give them, the better off they will be. If all you have is a shaded lot or space, you may not have much success in growing things. Calling your city government to check their guidelines for gardens inside the city limits or even fencing rules is an important step before you begin building.

Gather a List of Supplies & Estimated Cost

Believe it or not, things can really add up fast when considering a garden space. Unlike a home garden that may be a few raised beds or a small space meant to grow food for a family, a community garden’s purpose is to feed multiple families. Plan out what kind of supplies you would need to build raised beds, fill them with good quality soil (crops need lots of nutrients so don’t skimp there), purchasing vegetable starts or seeds to get the garden growing and any plant supports that may be needed to grow certain crops.

Make a Plan for Garden Care

Any garden is a lot of work but especially one that is a larger scale. If this garden isn’t near your house or near the house of someone who will be taking care of it, the garden can quickly become ‘out of sight, out of mind’. Have a plan of who will take care of the garden when or if it’s just one person who is taking care of the garden, create a plan of when and who will take care of the garden each week.

Speaking of a plan, if you can include an automatic watering system into your garden budget, that would be ideal. That way you won’t have to be there everyday to water the garden. It tends to make the garden a little more hands off. We use this timer with 1/4'“ drip tubing.

Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff

If you grow a garden yourself other than the community garden, you probably have a certain way that you like for your garden to look. You probably also have your own set of ideas about how to tend to a garden. Everyone has their own set of beliefs when it comes to growing a garden or they may not know anything about it but want to learn. There are some things that you have to let go of when working with a community garden space. Just because you want something done a certain way, doesn’t mean other people see it that way. This is a community effort and honestly, the plants are going to want to grow even if you don’t follow your ideals. Learn to work together with others for a common goal, that’s the point!

Pick the Right Crops

I wish there was a once and done formula I could tell you when it comes to what you should grow in a community garden. Unfortunately, all I can do is tell you my thoughts on what works for my space and just know that you will have to adjust to fit your community’s needs and what you want the outcome of the garden to be.

For example, we grow Roma tomatoes because they stay on the smaller side at 3-4 feet tall instead of growing a different tomato that can get 6 or 7 feet tall. They also put on a large amount of tomatoes at the same time so we have a large amount to take to the food pantry. Another example is that we aren’t growing okra this year. We grew it last year but it requires being harvested almost every day and we just couldn’t keep up. Also, it was harder to give away.

Also think about growing crops that are more resistant to certain diseases that you know your area deals with. Some varieties are more resistant to certain pests or incorporating more companion plants in with your crops. Growing things that pollinators like to attract them into your space is an important factor. A community garden should be about production but it should also be about looks as well. This place can also be a place of rest and refuge for the community so make sure you are leaving room for elements like adding in a bench.

Don’t Be Afraid To Ask

I am more timid by nature when it comes to being out of my comfort zone. It really takes a lot for me to ask favors from people especially ones I don’t know. I have learned though that if you don’t ask, you won’t get it. Don’t be afraid to ask for donations or help from others when there’s something you want or need. Most large companies have a program where they can donate things to a non profit organization. This is how I got two Greenstalk Vertical Planters and a Hoselink Retractable Hose. It’s worth asking for the donations and I have never had a company that I have reached out to be mean towards me when I ask.

Final Thoughts

I hope this has given you some things to think about before starting your own community garden space. Don’t forget to enjoy the process and hopefully you can teach others to love growing food the way that you do or at least give them some life skills they can always rely on. As always, happy gardening!