We are organizing a new community garden at our church. We are looking at 60-100, 10'X15' garden beds. The area is currently grass. We have all the irrigation water we need and much more. My impression of the "dirt" is clay, rock & glacial till.
I need input from all of you whether we should go with raised beds or in ground beds.
We can get heavy equipment to dig out beds and loosen everything up. Water pipes from the irrigation ditch are already in place.
Any input from those who have been involved with community gardens is immensely appreciated!
Let the debate begin & please tell people in other forums! :))
If one of the mediators can help us to spread the word around, I would really appreciate it. This garden is for the whole community and will include schools & educational events as well as helping the hungry & the homeless.
Thanks!
Sonny Canterbury
Church at Carbondale Organizer
Dave's Garden Member "Pewjumper"
New Community Garden: Raised Bed or In Ground Plots
Congratulations on your plans for the community garden at your church. My first question is where are you located? This will certainly affect what you can grow and when to grow it.
You may want to check the American Community Gardening Assn. website at www.communitygarden.org The have tons of information including "how to" tip sheets for new gardesn.
As to "in the ground" or raised beds, it really depends a lot on the soil; I favor raised beds for community gardens because you can improve the soil from the ground up, then use the spaces in between for paths using wood chips between rows for weed control. Has the soil been tested? This would be helpful. Will the beds be shared or be individual plots? My first thought is that the size 10 x 15 may be too large. 4' x 8' is usually better if raised so you can reach from either side. The lasagna method (where you layer various materials, starting with newspaper, straw, manure, compost etc. then plant in the top layer (about 12") letting the layers below break down.
These are some ideas for you to consider. Your local county Extension Agents and Master Gardeners may be helpful.
I have co-edited a book Community Gardening which may be of help to you. It's available from Amazon.com
Good luck!
Sawpalm,
I have been to the American Community Gardening Assn. website and it has already proven to be a great asset.
All the soil will probably be turned over with a trackhoe or other implement of mass destruction due to all of the heavy equipment that has passed over the site in years past. We will definatly do a composite soil test in the beggining.
Arbor day says we are a zone 4,5,6. Sunset Garden book says zone 1-2. We have several other gardens in the area some of which are proffesionally managed. The woman who runs the garden/horticulture program at the Rocky Mountain School has given presentations on which crops do best & which seeds do best in the area. Sustainable Settings is a couple of miles the other way.
We are located in Carbondale Colorado, so a green house + cold frame for starting plants is high on the wish list!
Which book did you help to edit? There are a number of books about community gardens at Amazon.
Sonny
Hi Sonny,
Sounds as if you are on your way to a great garden. It's probably really important to resolve the quesion about your Zone as that effects frost dates, germination specifics, etc. Those people you mentioned and your county extension agent should know.
The book is COMMUNITY GARDENING which I co-edited with Elizabeth Peters. It is available at Amazon.com and bbg.org , the website of Brooklyn Botanic Garden which is the publisher.
All the best. If you have questions, let me know.
oops...I forgot to give you my name. I am Ellen Kirby. Here is the cover of the book.
Ellen,
Thank you very much!
I will order that from Amazon shortly.
Amazingly enough, I could not pull up the yearly average temps for Carbondale Colorado. I will have to consult with old Leo, he has been farming and ranching for about sixty years in the same location. He can tell us what to expect.
Sonny