Estimated reading time: 11 minutes
Grow vegetables and connect with others in your community. Explore the essentials of starting and maintaining a community garden.
Learn about local community gardens, obtaining permission to start one, and their importance and disadvantages.
Participating in a community garden was something we thought of years ago, and now we are doing it.
Local community gardens are the big rage this year because people want to get outside.
Recently, a window of opportunity opened, and we secured 1 of 5 available plots.
Every community garden in our city has been sold out, so we were very fortunate to get in.
The possibility of having a successful garden relies on many factors, which I will discuss.
Grow a thriving community garden in your hometown with this step-by-step guide.
What Is A Community Garden?
A community garden is also known as a plot garden or community food garden, where you pay a small fee for a piece of land to grow vegetables and fruits.
The city owns the land, so the organizer has to go through a process to get it operational.
Divided into separate plots, a community garden is a great way to grow a garden if you don’t have the land at home.
Many people who live in apartments, condos, or even big cities don’t have access to land and use a garden.
Local community gardens are a great way for low-income families who cannot afford to buy vegetables to grow their own.
My sister in the UK got involved because it made more financial sense for the family.
Joining an initiative such as this provides nutritious, healthy meals that might otherwise be limited.
Most community garden plots sell out fast, so if you want to grow on the land, getting in touch with the plot organizer early is advised.
Getting Involved With Community Gardens
With the lockdown and COVID-19, being outdoors and doing anything is better than doing nothing.
When I lived in the UK, community gardens were common.
I often thought it was cool to have that option available for residents with limited to no land.
My sister and brother-in-law have used a community garden every spring and summer to grow vegetables.
I had a decent-sized backyard in the old house I sold before moving to Canada.
In my back garden, I grew herbs and vegetables in pots, some of which I wished I could have brought to Canada.
In a corner of my backyard, I rototilled a small garden space and grew tomatoes and peppers.
Besides coming home to my dog after work and taking him for a long spin at the park, gardening was a stress reliever for me.
Last night, we learned how important a community garden is in our city, where land is premium.
We had no idea there were over 20 plots where people come to grow food and foster a green environment.
Our current property is 31×130, which isn’t big enough for a proper garden, so we’ve resorted to planting in pots over the years.
The only plant on the ground is our rhubarb, which grows so big that we share it with our neighbours.
What Can You Grow In A Community Garden
Mrs. CBB and I discussed what we would grow in our garden plot last night.
Since we are a bit late in the season to start from seed, we may have to source seedlings.
Some so many gardeners have planted too many seedlings and sold them to the community.
This is how we bought our cherry tomatoes this year, as I ran out of time to start the growing process.
I paid $6 for 6 cherry tomato plants, which I thought was reasonable.
She also had kale, which I wished I had grabbed, but we didn’t know about this opportunity then.
Unless the garden coordinator has any rules on what you can and cannot grow, you should be able to choose anything.
For example, we can only grow berries and vegetables in our plot.
We have also been asked to be mindful of tall vegetables and how they may affect sunlight for your plot neighbors.
Community Garden Ideas For Planting
- Tomatoes
- Snow Peas
- Carrots
- Broccoli
- Cauliflower
- Lettuce
- Cabbage
- Brussel Sprouts
- Green, red, orange or yellow peppers
- Hot peppers
- Cucumbers
- Pumpkin
- Zucchini
- Eggplant
- Garlic
- Onions
- Radish
- Asparagus
- Fennel
- Rapini
- Kale
- Herbs such as basil, dill, parsley, chives, etc.
- Any berries such as strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, etc.
Related: How To Get Free Plants For Your Garden
How To Plan A Community Garden
When planning a community garden, the first step is to fill out an application with your city.
Most cities in Ontario should have a gardening coordinator whom you can contact.
The coordinator will work with the garden initiator to find a suitable plot of land with enough sunlight.
This may come with rules and regulations set out by the city; every city is different.
Ideally, your garden should have enough plots for a certain number of people, as determined by your city.
Once approved, your city may help kick-start the garden by supplying some materials, including rototilling.
There is also a process to ensure liability insurance in case someone were to get hurt.
Creating A Step-by-Step Community Garden Plan
With your application, the city may want to see a written site plan that details a step-by-step plan.
This may include, but not be limited to;
- Plot Sizes
- How many plots will be available or needed
- Expectations for gardeners to maintain their plot
- Plot agreement for gardeners and Covid-19 guidelines
- Supplies and other support needed
- How do you plan to mark the plots (Will they also include the gardener’s name?)
- Land size needed
- How will users water their garden plots?
- Accessibility needs
- What do you want to grow or plan on allowing
- Proposed site or area for your neighborhood
- Volunteer names who will monitor the garden
- End-of-the-season clean-up plan
- Can plot owners garden over winter?
Related: How To Find Free Garden Tools In Your Community
Other things include the cost of buying composting plot plans and ways to water the garden if city water is unavailable.
Contact your local city hall to find out what your city offers you for outdoor resources.
You might also want to ask whether there is a community garden grant that supports accessibility.
This may include the possibility of a raised garden bed so everyone can join in the fun.
How To Avoid Overplanting Seeds
How Does A Community Garden Make Money
Community gardens are typically grown on city-owned property and partially rely on donations.
Starting a community garden is not a money-making adventure. It’s a volunteer(s) taking time to bring something beautiful to a neighborhood.
Although financial donations are widely accepted, there are other ways neighbors can help.
- Volunteer their time to help and raise awareness of the benefits
- Offer garden tools for use to the community garden coordinator
- Donate leftover gardening materials such as wood, fencing, mulch, and clean soil
- Offer free seeds, plants, and vegetable seedlings for use in the garden
- Provide a compost bin that is not being used
The fee for the community garden we joined is only $20 for a 4×12 plot.
One enforceable rule is that gardeners look out for each other’s plants by being mindful of garden space.
Our garden allows for 15 plots at $20 each, totaling only $300, but it helps purchase supplies.
Are Community Gardens Worth The Effort?
We can’t wait to explore many things with the community garden we just became a part of.
While chatting with the community garden planner, we realized how valuable an opportunity this is.
Do I think community gardening is worth the effort?
Any time you get the privilege to learn how to become self-sustainable, it’s worth the elbow grease.
It’s also an opportunity for our son to get involved in gardening, so he can better understand where his food comes from.
Your garden plot may grow beautifully, or a vegetable might not grow as planned, but that’s ok.
The benefits far outweigh the cons of starting a community garden, even for educational purposes.
Importance Of A Community Garden
According to Sun Life Canada, gardening not only gets you outside but also offers many other health benefits, including lowering blood pressure.
Moving every day is important for many health reasons.
Those who do manual labour tend to have a lower blood pressure than expected, Thomas says.
He did a study that asked older women to squeeze a simple device with their hands regularly.
The device was similar to a gardening tool.
After eight weeks, the women had lower blood pressure.
In another study, women over 80 showed lower blood pressure and less anxiety after working with plants.
Sunlife Canada
- It improves mental health for people who garden as a hobby or to escape everyday boredom and stress.
- Provides healthy food choices for families and improved nutrition
- Lowers food costs
- Allows for increased physical activity
- Involves the entire family, including children who want to participate
- Learning opportunities from other community garden participants who share tips and tricks.
- Teaches children about self-sustainability
- Increased access for people without land to garden
- Builds neighborhood relationships and brings awareness to the community.
- Potential for food sharing among the growers
Related: Should gardening be a subject taught in schools?
Cons Of Starting A Community Garden
Not all community gardens have access to water and use only rainwater from rain barrels.
The water supply will be low or non-existent if it does not rain.
Our community garden has access to city water, which will be free to use, and the city provides free rain barrels.
However, not all cities have the financial resources to fund a community garden 100%.
Volunteers and donations are always accepted to keep the initiative alive.
- Not getting approved by the city or a lack of support services
- Rabbits, birds, chipmunks, and raccoons may start nibbling on the garden goods.
- Loss to theft or vandalism
- No rain or water accessibility
- Lack of garden tools and materials
This system may have more cons, but I won’t know until we dive into it this summer.
I’ll come back and add to the list if I find anything that proves it’s not favorable for a community garden’s success.
Gardening Is A Labour Of Love
You must enjoy gardening, which should bring you joy, before participating in such a venture.
Don’t be afraid to ask questions if you’re unsure about how you are gardening.
Gardening is a labor of love, and it’s also a labor of success and failure.
Like anything else, we learn from our mistakes and improve our successes.
As my father-in-law used to say, “You’ll never find anything better than the food you grow in your garden”.
Discussion: Do you participate in a community garden?
Tell us all about it in the comments below. I’d love to hear about your experience.
Thanks for reading,
Mr.CBB