*Small Plots Often 10x10 feet or up to 25x30 feet May have removable fencing on individual plots People can usually keep their same plot from year to year Usually no permanent structures on site Usually have shared water piped in unless on a vacant plot on a residential street in which case a kind neighbor may allow use of water. Site may be temporary or permanent May have raised beds for people with disabilities Some gardeners are long term and others 1-3 years Often on city land, parks land, university land, vacant lots in residential area Occasionally has group shelters and rest rooms Most food for personal family use People can usually plant any legal annual plant or perennial, and often shrubs, and occasionally shorter trees Some with optional food donations Common in US, Canada, Cuba, some refugee camps, and many other places. Smaller plots becoming available in the US too. Many make use of biointensive (see How to Grow More Vegetables...7th edition by Jeavons) or Square Foot Gardening (see all three books by Bartholomew) techniques to get the most from small spaces http://www.cityfarmer.org/ http://www.communitygarden.org/ Rose Miller is collecting info on plot sizes RoseMeadow2 at lycos.com .
*Small plot in a shared greenhouse http://www.cityfarmer.org/inuvik.html Other gardens also share green house space with people being able to keep X number of planting starting flats in the greenhouse *Allotments Standard size is 10 rod/pole which is often 30 feet by 90.75 feet See sample plan booklet here http://www.earthlypursuits.com/AllotGuide/DigforVictory1/DigForVictory1_1.htm Often fenced Often has a small shed and/or green house at one end Shed culture is valued In Germany families may camp out at the garden on weekends Usually has shared water piped in Site is usually permanent In Germany may be on railway right of way Often has a store that is open a few hours a week Group shelters more common than in the US Often has restrooms Gardeners are usually long term Most food for personal family use People can usually plant any legal annual plant or perennial, and often shrubs, and shorter trees Some sections (especially people with north edge plots in the northern hemisphere may be albe to plant trees that grow quite tall Many sites allow the keeping of small to medium animals Gardens likely to participate in open garden tour days, have garden contests and produce contests Site may be surrounded by a multipurpose hedgerow Plots are large enough for good permaculture designs Common in UK, Germany *Home garden with cabin Families have a garden with a cabin in the country and garden on weekends and in the summer. Older family members without another job may be there more continuously. These seem to be clustered in the country outside of cities Lots of food grown and preserved for winter use in addition to what is eaten in season Common in Russian areas In Africa. Indonesia, China and other countries, there is often sort of the reverse of this with the wive(s) and children living at the home garden with those houses as the main place of residence and the Father and/or an older boy/girl working in the city much of the year to earn income *Community Mini-Farms Farmed as group with food going to the group, to market, to CSA, or to charity Most labor from volunteers with 1 or a few paid staff/organiziers May be used as a educational demonstration garden or part of a whole life curriculum May be used for therapy Gardens like this are found as School gardens, agricultural program gardens, hospital gardens, prison gardens, soup kitchen gardens, gardens for the homeless, refugee camps, historic demonstation gardens/farms More gardens of this type are likely to be created since Slow Food has called for all Slow Food groups to partner with a school garden. *Business Mini-farms or Farms Farmed as a family or group or owner-helper business structure with food being used to earn income May be run as business, collective, or under command of the government Food goes to family, CSA, farmer's market, farm stand, restaurants, or to other designated businesses May have some volunteer interns/apprentices or WWOOFers or people who work to reduce the cost of their share or get a free share Common in every country *Any or all of the above http://www.ruaf.org/ Sharon gordonse at one.net
