Participating in a Community Garden
Gardening

Participating in a Community Garden

If you have a passion for gardening but live in the city where you can’t have a garden of your own then participating in a community garden may be just what you need.  Community gardens give you the chance to hang out with friends and neighbors while growing plants, vegetables, herbs or flowers.  There are a variety of different types of community gardens or you can organize one yourself.  Here are some of the most common types of community gardens that you can participate in.

Neighborhood Gardens

Neighborhood gardens are probably the most common type of community garden.  It is where there is a vacant plot of land in a community and a group of neighbors grow vegetables and flowers together.  Everyone works on the garden whether it is planting, watering or weeding.  These gardens not only grow food for the neighborhood they also help to beautify it.

Allotments

These are common throughout the UK but you can find allotment gardens in the US as well.  In this case a vacant lot is divided up into individual plots and these are assigned to local residents who can grow what they want.  These are great for people who live in apartments with no yard space of their own.  You can see a variety of different flowers and vegetables growing here.

Charity Gardens

These type of gardens focus on growing food that is used to feed the homeless and people living in shelters.  Charity gardens can be run by a business or a community group to help combat poverty.  Often times homeless people are given the chance to volunteer or work in these gardens.  They grow using organic methods and produce their own compost for the following year.  If you have the chance to donate or participate you can do your community a world of good.

Gardens at School

Gardens at school are a great way to teach kids about gardening and growing food, city kids rarely get an opportunity to do so.  It teaches children science, math along with topics like environmentalism and sustainable farming methods.  It helps kids to learn where their food came from along how it is grown.

Participating in any kind of community garden is a wonderful opportunity and you should grab it if you get the chance.  It brings fresh produce to your table without having it shipped across the country.  It brings neighborhoods and communities together and it can help deal with homelessness and hunger.  If you can’t participate then please donate to your local community garden project.

Growing Your Own Vegetables
Gardening

Growing Your Own Vegetables

There is nothing like having fresh fruit or vegetables in the summer and fall, especially when they come from your own garden.  Growing your own vegetables is a great idea it saves you money and helps to feed you and your family.  Not only that but gardening has been proven to reduce stress and gets you out into the sun.  Let’s look at how easy it is to grow your own vegetables.

Getting Started

Before you start digging in the dirt you need to consider the size and location along with the soil composition.  Plants are going to need at least six hours of direct sunlight every day so don’t plant your garden in the shade.  You also need to have adequate drainage or you will end up with root rot and your plants won’t grow.  You need adequate space for your plants, you can start out the first year with a small plot and expand in later years as you learn.

Good soil is everything when it comes to gardening, without good soil you won’t grow anything.  You want soil that is fairly loose and not too hard to till.  If you have hard packed soil don’t worry you can still plant a garden you can either add compost to it or you can head to the local garden center and buy some soil.  If you are serious about growing your own vegetables then you should consider making your own compost.

Container Gardening

If you are an apartment dweller or don’t have a lot of space in your backyard then you can try your hand at container gardening.  You can put your plants on your balcony or even in your home if you have to.  Look for the spot where they will get the most light.  One of the biggest perks of container gardening is not having to deal with pests and wildlife trying to eat your vegetables.  Some plants that take to container gardening really well are tomatoes, spinach, beets, peppers and eggplant.  Just make sure that you have adequate drainage in your containers.

Fresh organic vegetables grown with your own two hands are amazing, there is nothing like feeding your family the freshest of produce.  Not only that but gardening is a way to connect with nature and reduce stress.  If you can get your kids interested in gardening it might even be easier to convince them to eat a vegetable if they had a part in growing it.