Become a Superstar Community Gardener

What to expect when you begin to garden in a pacific northwest community garden.

In a quest to lower our carbon footprint and get more in tune with what we are eating, we decide to put our name on the waitlist for a spot in the local community garden. Food insecurity continues to skyrocket and with inflation pushes the price of food further out of reach. So, what better way than to fill our plates than to get involved with a community of gardeners that are prolific at putting food on the table.

The 15 Foot Design Before Plants

The popularity of community gardens comes and goes depending on several factors especially here on the pacific northwest where land is at a premium. When there are economic downturns plus densification of urban development taking away the agricultural land reserves this means that appreciation for it goes up and the waitlist grows longer. There are so many benefits to community gardening but after being part of one for the last couple months, there ultimately are a few things that I wish I knew before I got involved.

1)    Prepare every step of the way

Our community garden is affordable but the caveat up front is in order to get into the community garden you provide your own supplies. Given that ours is 15 feet by 15 foot it means that it gets quite pricey for quality supplies, but it is a worthy investment for a long-term gain. One thing I learned is stick to the recommendations. Conformity is beneficial to incorporate even when you are trying to make your space your own. Once supplies are acquired, coordinating the help can be a huge hurdle to overcome as the weather around the March / April timeframe is iffy in most parts of the Pacific Northwest.

2)    Prepare for the Unexpected

From previous years the main takeaway is I overfill my space. This year I stick to the plan for what I wanted to grow and then when the space in real time I realize that it is far bigger than originally planned. So, I keep some space open, and I delay growing certain things. This comes in handy because the nature of community gardening is community and when people have over abundance, they hate to throw things out and you can give it a good home and prepare for unexpected, failed crops. This Juneuary as June is known by many, annoys newcomers to the garden that are master gardeners from elsewhere. The temperatures are all over the map, as much of the PNW weather can be and knowing how to navigate this from experience often helps you to chart a path forward.

Meta Dressing: Being One With My Plants

3)    Prepare for Failure

My biggest recommendation for planning is to go into it knowing you will fail. Celebrate it in fact. For example, my seedlings that began indoors are no more minus one Pepper Plant. I don’t recommend this for your first year. Give it ‘til your second year of crop rotation before you have a better sense of things. Otherwise, you are just taking out of your budget, mine as well go gambling. I bought seeds for direct sow crops like peas beans, onions, lettuce, and beets. They are thriving. In the end though if you are patient for presents the budget balances out because so many other people are prolific with their overabundance.

4)    Prepare for Unsolicited Advice

Our plot location is in full sun, and I lean into self-irrigators for most of my plants that are heavy feeders. Of course, no one else is doing this which is fine, but I am met with curiosity, questions and occasionally remarks that border on snide and a bit know it all. Which is fine, but my approach to gardening is that everything is one big science experiment, and it will be different from what is expected.

5)    Prepare for the Vertical

It’s one thing to figure out the one-dimensional plan for plants to pop up. Then you have to consider the vertical dimension. My brother, who happens to work in irrigation, gifts me leftovers from job sites and so I have random pipes at my disposal along with twine to create makeshift trellises. Which brings me to using what you have. It may not be pretty, but it will do the job. Some companion plant corn and beans together because the corn acts as a natural support system for the beans. I plan to try this next year and I will hopefully report back to you on the status of how this goes. In the meantime, I run into the spacial planning problem when the cucumbers start to climb right beside my peas and my beans. All of these plants require climbing space. So, this might happen to you so lean into makeshift options for them to latch onto.

All in all, you can never be too prepared, and I could go on forever on this topic. There is so much to learn from, see and do each day. There is so much to unpack in this science experiment of a plot. Stick around for more tips, tricks, and stories about life as a writer who also happens to garden for my physical and mental well-being.