Projects are my passion. There is something gratifying about starting something and seeing it become a reality. I am, by nature, a creator. Welcome to the journey of creating a community garden.
Last year we had a garden. Nothing too outlandish (at least not as far as fruit and veggies go - our flowers are another story) Gardening was something that was familiar to both of us, growing up with them as children. I was either born Our own children had an enthusiasm and vigor for it that we didn't expect. A drought really brought everyone's growing to a halt. Our results were decent for the small size that we had. A few gallons of green beans, some squash, cherry tomatoes and a very successful herb garden. We had some vision and added a few things.
This year there is a lot to work on and a lot of interest/help to go along with it! Some of our seeds (above) have already been started. Some clear plastic cups, a few packets of seeds, some potting soil, painters tape, a Sharpie marker and some water were all it took to get us well on our way. We opted for skipping the "green houses" that can be purchased for a few dollars at your local retailer. The "pucks" of starter dirt are too small and the hood of the tray is too short to allow for enough growth. Our starts took off like rockets! Most seed packages say that germination time is a week plus. The picture above is what we had at just 4 days after planting. What emerged first were turnips, the varieties of lettuce, radishes, carrots and surprisingly cucumbers. That was all on the third day. The following day saw cauliflower, broccoli, peas and melons sprouting. A week later and we have tomatoes and peppers in the mix as well. So far, so impressive!
We have a lot of space, but we want to utilize everything we can. Maximizing space means maximizing results! That is where the second picture comes in to play. Hanging planters. There are crops like cilantro, lettuce, green onions and herbs like basil that are renewable. I drink a lot of SoBe lifewater due to stopping soda intake. Not ones to waste, we made a few prototypes of hanging planters until we got it right. Wash them out, take the wrapper off, cut the base out, drill four holes into the sides and string through hemp or twine. Pretty simple huh? If you want to make your hangers fancy, you can weave beads into them. We plan on hanging the from our deck rails to increase actual garden space . Those pictures will be coming soon.
We have help :) Oh boy, do we. Help and interest are going to be the two components that really make this project happen! So far our friends have donated about 30 tomato cages, some landscaping fabric and have helped with pulling up the lower deck that had broken boards and placed ads for materials we will need. That deck will become one of our gardens instead of a hazard for our children playing outside. The boards that we reclaimed will become our boxes for other gardens. There are others planting seeds, donating naturally fertilized water, still others are donating materials. The wonderful thing about a community garden is that not everyone has to have the same skill set or experience. It is fun to learn together! About 8 families now have joined the project, the more, the merrier!
Soon there will be some before photos that we put up and a description of what we have going where and what we already have. For today, this is a good start. Come grow with us, everyday.
Looking forward to growing with you!
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