Hi Fellow/Sister gardeners. I oversee the Community Gardens owned by the Town of Guilderland in upstate New York. We have been operating for about 10 years. The garden has grown to 61 individual lots each approximately 20 by 30 feet. Many gardeners maintain more than one lot- total families number 33. We also have a small pond within the gardens which are stocked with rainbow trout.
We are governed by a set of "Rules of the Row" which continues to change as we gain experience.
Many of our gardeners own homes but since we are in what is known as the Albany Pinebush area, many homes do not have favorable growing conditions. That is my case as well. But even if I did have favorable conditions at home, I would still participate in the community gardens. There is great camaraderie among the gardeners. It is great fun. Try it if you haven't yet participated in a Community Garden.
Check out the new Denver Urban Gardens (DUG) website at www.dug.org to find out more about community gardens and community supported agriculture in the metro-Denver area.
How about some details on how your Community Garden works. Do you have a fee per lot? Are you limited to low-income? Do you have any drop outs? How do you deal with watering? Do participants use organic methods? Do you participate in the Plant a Row for the Hungry project? How much room do you have for expansion? Etc. Etc.
Hey! Your garden sounds wonderful. I'm looking for ideas on how to keep a garden project running and I thought you might be able to help. We install and maintain (for 2 years) organic vegetable gardens for low-income individuals and families. We are a small, non-profit organization who provide this service free of charge but we need more funding to keep the project going. Thanks for passing along any relevant information. Peace.
