Community Gardens

[catherine]

This topic has generated a lot of interest and many folks are looking
forward to strong successes here. We need a team of people willing to
make this happen – finding potential sites, researching formats of
other gardens throughout the nation, drafting some rules, marketing to
growers.
Eventually we hope to see several gardens become open throughout the
county, potentially with several methods of design:
- A garden with multiple growers working independently,
- A cooperative with a manager who guides growers as they come to
prescribed volunteer hours, bounty could be shared with a food bank
and amongst the volunteers
- A church or business with spare land (waiting for a future
expansion?) might want to put that lot to good use in the near years,
parishioners/ employees growing for a cause
- A community might turn a vacant lot into a food source
- A school lot might help with an educational mission throughout the
school year, but feed the staff & teachers through the summer.

The community garden ought to provide water for irrigation and
initially tillage. The soil will surely need amendments. Raised
beds? Fencing? Storage? Education for the participants? Organic or
not?

Visit some of these websites, dream, then act. Volunteer to help get
this project rolling successfully. You'll not be working alone,
already there are people researching this topic!

http://www.communitygarden.org/
http://www.burlingtongardens.org/
http://www.intervale.org
http://www.portlandonline.com/parks/index.cfm?c=39846
http://www.openlands.org/urbangreening.asp?pgid=108
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/commgard/
http://www.mrsc.org/Subjects/Parks/comgarden.aspx
http://www.cometothetablenc.org/

These are only some of the great websites out there, please find more
and then share them with others here.

[catherine]

note to Community Garden team (Ann S., Doug H., Priscilla M.) and all
others too -
Two new sites have been identified!
First is nearly ready to sign up farmers as we speak in Newport, well-
drained, 2 acre property with room for probably 4-10 farmers total,
owned by Janet Sibley and her family; she is going to have soil tested
and tilled as soon as possible. She needs assistance with researching
and drafting a set agreements she can use to sign up family farmers -
any volunteers to help her?
Second would be at the Boys and Girls Club in Morehead City, if I can
persuade neighboring elementary school to participate as well, may
have more of an educational/ kid component, club director is very
interested but only if we can provide the committed adult volunteers
to manage the kids each day, needs a long term plan.

Further update - Craig H. has volunteered to contact MC manager, Randy
Martin, to ask specifically about the availability of the lot behind
Lookout High School on Bridges Street for a community garden, wish him
luck!