Hi, Julie, Hey, neighbor. If you (and some potential gardeners and allies) would like to come visit some community gardens in Charlotte, please let me know.
I'm delighted to hear about your work in Shelby. Every year, there's more community gardening in the Carolinas, with folks now working (among other places) in Asheville, Durham, Gaston County, here in Charlotte, in the Triangle (argueably the first community garden in the US was in Old Salem - more recently, NCA&T in Greensboro has been active organizing statewide community gardening conferences). To the south, some interesting things are happening in Columbia SC, at Clemson and in the Low Country (Myrtle Beach, of all places, has a big community garden). Hope you and your garden will join ACGA, which is a good way to build a wider network. In brief response to your good questions: 1. In Charlotte, there are different arrangements for plots. Some (Park and Rec sponsored, church (Charlotte Green) sponsored...) have individual plots, where some gardeners choose to 'plant a row for the hungry' or otherwise share. Others (Urban Ministry, a cg for the homeless - plus the entrepreneurial SEEDS garden for youth in Durham, a partnership with their local food bank) are managed as group projects with food going to soup kitchens or direct to hungry folks, or for sale to generate income. My suggestion is to start by asking your potential community of gardeners how they'd like to see the garden set up and to make that your starting point (you can add or change elements later). Note: Some CGs don't grow food, but do beautification, or herbs, or environmental restoration, or a playground, or ... What they have in common is building community. 2. There is no one 'right' size for individual plots. Here in Charlotte, for 'drive to' gardens (where people drive to get there, usually in suburban/rural fringe spots but not always) 20ft x20ft (400 ft2) is a common size, with enthusiastic gardeners renting two plots. For 'walk to' gardens (often in more urban areas,where folks live close), sizes range from about 10ftx15ft to as little as 5ftx5ft. Some highly successful gardens, like Adam's in NYC, combine a generous common area that serves as park and playground with a section set aside for modest 'urban-sized' plots. A caution: Plots should be small enough that gardeners can take care of them. 3. Two answers: You can plant virtually anything in a community garden - I've seen apples and peaches in NYC gardens! More practically, at this time of year in the Carolina Piedmont, my suggestion is to do good soil prep over the next 3 weeks and then plant summer crops (tomatoes, string beans, squash, cukes, sweet corn) after April 15, our 'frost free' date. Add peppers, eggplants, okra, blackeyed peas and melons in early May, and sweet potatoes in mid-May/June. It's a bit late for most cool season things now, especially since it has been such an unusually warm winter and spring. You could still do potatoes, and maybe broccoli or videlia onions if you really really like them - just don't tie up a lot of garden space. I'd wait to do cool season crops (leafies, roots) in the fall (plant in late July/August). Look around for experienced gardeners and ask them - you'll be amazed at the knowledge that's out there, especially among seniors who grew up on farms. Also, cooperative extension is a good outfit with good info. Last plant advice - don't forget easy summer flowers (sunflowers, cosmos, cleome, zinnias...). They transform the look of a garden. 4. Budgets, funding and organization are handled in as many different ways as there are gardens. If you are a non-profit or guerrila group, you might want to start small and build interest. You've got great dreams, but it sounds like you are just at the beginning stages. You may want to start with a relatively modest 'pilot' project for starters, to build your team and learn from experience. Then, step by step, you build from there together. Good luck, and come visit, Don Boekelheide Charlotte NC Message: 4 Date: Tue, 27 Mar 2007 22:43:34 +0000 From: "julie young" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Community_garden] Starting a community garden To: community_garden at list.communitygarden.org Message-ID: <BAY120-F183A2B3502F0B3CDCA6F07A66E0 at phx.gbl> Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed It has always been my dream to have a community garden where people can come in and take what they need, people can learn about vegetables, see a child taste a fresh tomato. Now I am starting one in Shelby, NC. We have been provided a site by the city in an area of town where churches and civic groups have rallied together to remove drugs and crime and brings back hope to a part of that neighborhood. We are having an planning meeting at the site on April 5th at 5:30pm but I have some questions for those of you who have been here. 1. Do you have groups take a plot or just have everyone help everywhere? If so how do you define what goes back to those in need? 2. What is a good sized plot? 3. What is the best thing to plant for new gardens? 4. What is your budget and how is it provided for? Any other suggestions would be great. We want a children's area, raised plat for wheelchair access, and benches for education area. Julie Young
