Hello everyone, I live in a college dorm apartment complex, and while I am going to build a greenhouse for my room (I am still looking for cheap lexan/acrylic to use to build it) I think it would also be interesting to have a community garden in the apartment complex. Before I go to the community to ask about this, I wanted to make sure I had all my information straight. I think that there is a great place for it to be: Right below my balcony there is a 10 ft x 30 ft grassy area that is almost completely unused (there is a small utility cover on one side that is probably for controlling sprinklers or something similar, I have not checked yet). This grassy area is also between two buildings, a 3 story building to the west and a one-story building to the east, so it only gets direct sun for four hours or so. (but it is still bright all day because the buildings are a light tan colour) It also has a rain gutter right there so the 10 or so times it rains per year here it could get pretty wet. There is also a hose spigot right around the corner The university I attend is Arizona State University, and they are constantly trying to become more "green" and "environmentally-friendly" so I assume I will get support for this as this would somewhat go along with that philosophy. I can't think of any expenses, and I'm sure anything really necessary I could just ask for donations from people using the garden. I found this website: http://www.communitygarden.org/learn/st ... garden.php that documents many necessary steps to starting a community garden, I was just curious if anyone else had any tips.
Great ideas!!! I bet Sjoerd will have good information when he sees your post. You should see some of his stuff!!!! (You can find pics on here!)
It sounds like you've thought this through and I think it's a fantastic idea too. Sjoerd would be your man for the scientific approach. Very knowledgable. Good luck!!! Gardengater
I hope Sjoerd comes along soon .He would love to help you and would be the person to answer your questions.Your idea is great.
Great, yeah I hope sjoerd sees this then, or I'll send him a message. In the meantime, can anyone think of any fruits or vegetables that could survive in 115F(46C) weather with less than 5% humidity? the gardens my family have at home always look dead all summer
Dooley may be able to answer that better than most.We live in lots of heat but high humidity here in Texas.Peas ,green beans,sweet peas if planted early may do well.Sweet peas have to be planted really early as they don't do well in the heat.Cucumbers and squash .I feel like squash will do real well as Dooley's do great.
Hello AC, It sounds like you have a great idea...beginning a garden can't be anything but that, right? The website that shows you how to go about setting-up a community garden seems to cover the basics quite well. I was wondering how many folks would be gardening on this garden that you are thinking of starting? Would the garden be divided into small plots for individuals? Do you sort of have a layout in mind with paths? Of course if you begin this scheme...it would be good to have a plan for it's continuation after you have left the campous. It would be such a shame to begin this only to have it become neglected after a year or two. I saw the word, "sprinklers" mentioned. Do you know if there are any sprinkler water lines under the grass? It's good that there is a water source just around the corner. You will need lots of water. What about tools? Can you get hold of some second hand tools? A hoe, a shovel, a rake, a border fork and a trowel are the most essential tools, I would reckon. A couple of watering cans with "water roses" on the ends of the spouts are also necessary. You will also need a lockable shed to keep them in for the gardners use. I don't know what sort of ground you have there, but generally growing veg will require some soil treatment to make it fertile and free-draining enough for proper crop development. I believe that you will need to incorporate techniques to have some degree of water retention, since your climate is so arid. It would be helpful to have a soil analysis and a pH done before you begin tinkering with the ground that you are going to work. That way you will know what needs to be added or neutralized before actually beginning work on the soil structure and nutritition. Where there's soil there should also be a compost bin, so that you can make your own. You will probably need to add organic material every season for awhile until your gardening soil is just right. You will need to investigate what you can realistically grow there in terms of fruit and veg. and concentrate on these. Types of beans, tomatoes, courgettes and melons come to mind at this moment. A knowlwdge of the growing seasons there are essential when planning your garden. The idea is to constantly have something coming up, something harvestable on hand and something germinating. The backs of seed packs give you all the info that you need on this to help you plan your planting. One final thing I would suggest is that you grow some flowers on all sides of your veggie plot to attract bees. They are your greatest gardening partner. You should also look into the type of plant pests that exist in your area and see if you can´t find flowers that help ward them off, e.g. tagetes help keep aphids away. Good luck...and keep us posted on your progress.
In Amsterdam the city actually funds (partially) these initiatives. I live opposite a 60's officebuilding and the three lower floors are parking garages. (I hear you thinking, wow Kume, no balcony and a view of an office building parking garage? It's not that bad, honestly) Before we moved here the street decided to create a 'geveltuin'. In English the translation would be something like wall garden. It enhances the view a lot, makes the ugly building almost retty ;-) They are actually going to demolish that building... wonder what will come in the place of it.
