Start a Community Garden

Constructing the Community Garden

 

Site Preparation

Look at the ground where the beds are to be built. The most important characteristics to look for are: An area where the ground is completely or nearly flat. Land that is either even with or higher than the land around it, does not get large amounts of roof runoff, or collect water for long periods of time after heavy rains. An area where there are not many hills to flatten or holes to fill. An area that gets sun most of the day. An area that is close to a water source. An area that is convenient and close to the gardeners.

Sample Garden Designs

 

 

 

Laying Out Beds

 

If the ground is not level, do whatever is necessary to make the ground relatively flat. Fill in holes with clay from bed centers. Later you can fill these holes with good soil from under the cement blocks. Scrape off mounds until they are flat.

Use stakes and string to mark the inside edge of every bed. For a rectangular lot, the garden beds are typically 4 ft wide and from 20 to 40 ft long depending on space available and your needs.

For our example, we will assume eight 4 ft by 20 ft beds edged with 8 in. solid cement blocks and with 2 ft 8 in. paths in between.

For one bed you will need a length of string equal to 4 ft (the width of the bed interior), plus 1 ft 4 in. (the width of two 8" blocks bordering the bed, and 2 ft 8 in. (the path width). 4 ft + 1 ft 4 in. + 2 ft 8 in. = 8 ft. Now multiply this 8 ft. times the number of beds and add ten feet extra. 8 ft. x 8 beds plus 10 ft. = 74 ft.

a) Figure out how most people will view the garden. For example, some gardens will be seen by the majority of people as they drive by. Then decide where the ends of the beds will be and which of the end lines need to look the best. Start there. Call that Line A.

b) Stretch one of the 70 ft strings from our calculation above along Line A and tie it to a hammered stake a few feet beyond where the last bed will be. Tie the string to the stakes about 5 to 6 in. above the ground (definitely less than 8 in. above the ground).

c) Tie the other end of the string to a stake and hammer it into the ground a few feet past where the first bed will be on the other side. Tie the second 70' string (Line B) to stakes 20 ft from Line A.

d) Now, cut lengths of string equal to the length of the beds (20 ft) + 4 ft = 24 ft for our example. Cut two 24 ft. strings for each bed = 16 strings for our example. e) Lay one of the newly cut 24 ft. strings (string C), perpendicular to and 2 ft. beyond the end of the already staked strings. Stake it at each end. Make sure it is staked 8 inches above the ground.

f) Now lay a second 24 ft. string (string D) perpendicular to the long string. This one will be 4 ft. from the string you just staked. Stake this string at each end. You have just formed the outline of the first bed.

g) Now you are ready to form the outline of the second garden bed. Stake the next 24 ft. string 4 ft. from and parallel with the last string you staked. You now have the outline of the aisleway between beds 1 and 2, plus one side of bed two.

h) Continue to stake strings every 4 ft and 5 ft until you have used all the string. You will now have the outline for all of your beds.

Placing Concrete Blocks

a) It is very important to put the blocks along one short end of the bed before starting the sides. Use a level to level the string or the blocks.

b) Align the concrete blocks with the string as your guide. Place 8 of the 8" blocks along one end of a bed. Make this the one farthest from your pile of soil. Six of the blocks will form the width of the bed and 2 of the blocks will be corner stones for both the ends and sides of the beds. Place the blocks very straight and close together along the string. Leave just enough space so that the blocks can be moved once they are in place. This is necessary for weeding.

c) Once the 8 end blocks are in place, you can begin building the sides with the concrete blocks. There should be 30 8" square blocks along each side.

d) Next 8-10 layers of newspaper can be placed on the ground completely covering the first five feet of a bed at the end that has blocks in place. Let the newspaper overlap about 6" and make sure that at least an inch of paper is under each block. Do this by lifting a corner of the block up and putting the edge of the paper under it.

e) The newspapers will help kill the grass and prevent weeds from coming into the garden beds. If it is windy outside, you (or a kid) will need to use some soil or water to hold down the newspaper as you lay it down.

Filling the Beds

a) After you have five feet of the newspaper in place, it is time to fill the beds with soil. Bring the wheelbarrows of soil in from the open end and dump the soil on newspaper at the far end. As the end fills up, lay more newspaper and blocks until the entire bed has newspaper with soil on it. Fill the beds with soil up to the very top, and level the soil using your rakes. Since there will be some settling, you can overfill the center of the beds an inch or two above the block sides.

b) When the bed is nearly full at the open end, put blocks on newspaper at the open end and finish putting soil in the bed.

The aisles between the beds will need to be edged and mowed. If mowing is not an option, the aisles can be filled with thick layers of mulch or walk material like stone or gravel.

PLANTING AND WATERING

Fertilize the entire bed before planting seeds or transplants.

The first time you plant in the bed, use 1/2 cup of 6% organic fertilizer per square foot of bed. You can accomplish this by making square foot grids across the bed with your fingers or a tool handle and use a measuring cup to sprinkle the fertilizer. Urban Harvest recommends use a balanced, slow-release 6% organic fertilizer like MicroLife or Soil Food.

Mix the fertilizer into the top couple of inches of soil with a rake. Make sure you level the soil after you fertilize.

On all other plantings after the first one, use only 1/4 cup of fertilizer per square foot of bed. With plants spaced one foot or more, you may find it useful to mix the 1/4 cup into the soil several inches under where the plant will be, rather than just anywhere over the bed.

If you are planting vegetables that are heavy feeders (corn, squash, cabbage family), use twice as much fertilizer as recommended above.

New soils do not have the soil food web developed that assures rapid growth. In addition, in all but the most expensive new soils, plants may suffer while undigested organic material matures. If your plants fail to thrive, are weak or spindly, or have yellow or red or purple lower leaves, you may need to fertilize again with a handful more of fertilizer watered or scratched in around the plant. You can do this every two weeks if necessary.

Planting Seeds

Get seeds from your favorite source. Seeds can be purchased from Urban Harvest, and seed sources are listed in Dr. Randall's book.

Plant the seed according to the recommendations in Dr. Randall's book (time to plant, depth of seed, spacing of seeds). If more than one crop is planted in a bed, it is best to plant one type of plant in one section of the bed rather than planting them in long rows.

If some seeds don't come up or you have blank spots where plants have died or been harvested, plant something else appropriate to the season and the space. That way, you will harvest more and have less place for weeds to sprout.

Seeds are generally planted 3 times as deep as their smallest diameter. There are many tiny seeds, for example lettuce, parsley, and carrots, that are planted on the surface of the soil. To do this, rough up the soil with a rake, scatter the seeds, lightly tap down soil, and keep the soil damp until the plants are several inches high.

Plants that have one foot or more spacing can be planted first in pots and transplanted, or can be grown close together at one end of a bed and then moved once they are a few inches high.

Watering

For newly planted seeds in hot weather, you may need to water every morning and perhaps every afternoon as well. Watering all these seeds with a watering can would be prohibitively tedious, so install nearby working water taps and hoses before you plant.

Keep in mind that roots are often only as deep as the plant is high, so if the soil is dry 1/2 inch down around a 1/4 inch high plant, the plant will probably die of thirst. Water the entire area planted so that the seed never dries out until germination takes place and a second set of leaves have formed. Then you can water every third day, unless it rains or the soil stays damp.

After you water, place your finger deep into the soil to make sure all the soil is wet. If it is not all wet, water until it is. One easy way to do this is to put a fan nozzle in the center of a bed and let it run slowly until water comes out below the block sides. Another easier way is to set up a soaker hose system. These are available at hardware stores such as Home Depot.

Once the plants are up, mulch with either hay (from feed stores or used at stables) or native mulch (from Nature's Way). Mulch three to four inches deep and be careful not to cover plants. Mulching is vital to the health of the plant in hot weather.

Beneficial Insect Bed

To help minimize insect pests in your garden, we suggest planting some ornamental perennials to attract beneficial insects that prey upon garden pests. See the chapter in Randall's book on Ecological Pest Control and see "Insect Bed" (page 10) in Urban Harvest's Pamphlet, "Building and Maintaining a Community Vegetable Garden." Seeds and plants of native varieties will be planted in this bed. Some of the plants to include are:

Salvias & Butterfly Weed
Herbs (italian parsley, dill, fennel, zefa feno fennel, yarrow, cilantro, borage, anise hyssop)
Queen Anne's lace & buckwheat
brown eyed Susan and black eyed Susan
Lantana
Dwarf southern wax myrtle

Some of these plants may be donated from other gardens, or they can be purchased from area nurseries such as Buchanan's, Joshua's, In With Nature, Another Place In Time or Anderson's Nursery in Spring Branch. Many of these plants can be purchased in 4" pots for spring planting. Seeds can be also planted in mid to late September and watered well until germination takes place.

Naming Your Garden

Once you have a garden, give it a name, a nice gate and a sign. Urban Harvest can get you a good sign for about $100 or less. Get a copy of Urban Harvest Community Gardens Network Membership and join. Send Urban Harvest $30 per year, put your contact person on our mailing list, get our mailings, and come to our classes and community garden meetings. This keeps us up to date on your progress, and helps you meet others who can help you or give you ideas.

Garden Enhancements

Your compost area area should be constructed at least by the time of the first harvest. It can be a large pile, or can be contained by fencing or wood or hay bales. A pile should be at least 4 ft by 4 ft by 4 ft. Home Depot sells a green vinyl covered fencing that works and is attractive, but there are many alternatives. Many gardeners like three piles- a mature compost pile for use on beds, a completed pile that is taking a year or so to rot, and one that is being formed from fresh vegetation. There may also be piles of leaves or bought mulch.

Greenhouses are unnecessary in the Houston area unless you are marketing transplants or are teaching children with plant experiments. We teach a fall class on growing winter transplants inexpensively under lights.

There are many beautiful sitting benches, but a decent temporary one can be made from concrete blocks or tree trunks and boards.

If you are going to build a community garden pond or natural wetland, we strongly recommend that you take the Urban Harvest summer pond course or contact US Fisheries and Wildlife for advice (Ron Jones 281-286-8282). If you are constructing a community garden wildscape, get advice from Texas Parks and Wildlife at 281-456-8216. Don't forget to get a shallow birdbath (Home Depot), put it near a water tap and keep it filled with fresh water.