How to Start a Community Garden Cheap

!±8± How to Start a Community Garden Cheap

Most people who buy land from us already know what they will do with their parcel. For some it is to build their dream home for retirement, and others simply plan to hold onto it solely for investment to resell down the road. Yet there are some people who buy land because they would like to make a difference and do something beneficial with it. In this growing age of environmental awareness, many people are wondering what they can do to give back to the Earth. One productive use of a small plot of land is to start a community garden, also known as an urban garden in some cities. This blog is aimed at those of you interested in discovering the benefits of transforming a vacant lot into a beautiful and bountiful garden that nourishes the community.

Before we get into the details of the rewards of a community garden, did you know that today most of our food comes from over 1,250 miles away or more? In the U.S., the number of acres of land used to grow food is decreasing each year. There is now much less financial incentive to become a farmer. Currently, only approximately 19 cents of every dollar spent on food goes back to the farm, but that figure was more than double that amount back in 1975 at 40 cents per dollar. It is estimated that today only 1% of our population are farmers, compared to about 90% at the turn of the century. Consequently, we are forced to import our produce from abroad. This is not at all economical and one of the reasons why the cost of food fluctuates so much. If the price of gas goes up, the price of transporting food goes up, and we all pay for that increase at the grocery store check-out line. What's more is that these foreign sources may not be as reliable or even available at all to us in the coming future.

This brings us back to why community gardens are so important. Smaller plots of land in urban areas work very well since it gives people who don't have their own backyards the chance to grow their own vegetables. Community gardens can help people reclaim their neighborhoods, and can bring some much needed greenery to an urban landscape, potentially turning an trash-strewn eyesore of a vacant lot into a beautiful oasis that everyone passing by can enjoy. This not only provides a catalyst for neighborhood and community development, but it also improves the quality of life in the area. Fruits, vegetables and flowers not only beautify the land, but also improves the quality of food available to those who grow it. Since 1945, the use of chemical pesticides on food grown worldwide has increased by ten times. Many people want to eat pesticide-free food, but often can't afford it from the store. Vegetable gardens produce fresh, organic, delicious and nutritious food which also helps reduce family food budgets.

Some of the benefits of community gardens are intangible, such as how gardens provide a venue for intergenerational recreation and social interaction for retirees. In-school and after-school gardening programs give young people a productive, educational and confidence-building activity that can then turn into a lifelong skill by encouraging self reliance. The variety of produce grown also can reflect the cultural identity of the people who planted the garden. Some community garden programs even donate the produce they grow to local hunger agencies to help feed the poor.

Here are links to a few resources for more information on starting your own community garden:

Community Gardening - Wikipedia

How to Create an Urban Garden - eHow.com

Urban Gardening Help - Gardening information and forum

Urban Garden Casual - Blog on gardening for the urban dweller

American Community Gardening Association - National resource for help with starting urban gardens

The Neighborhood Gardens Association - The NGA is a land trust that acquires the land on which community gardens are developed

Here are several examples of community gardens across the U.S.:

Spiral Gardens - Berkeley, California

Urban Harvest - Houston, Texas

D.U.G. - Denver Urban Gardens- Denver, Colorado

Pikes Peak Urban Gardens - Denver, Colorado

Community Roots Farm - Boulder, Colorado

Milwaukee Urban Gardens - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Green Guerillas - New York, New York

Penn State Urban Gardening Program - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Philadelphia Green - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Durham Urban Garden Collaborative - Durham, North Carolina

Brightside Community Gardens - Louisville, Kentucky

City Farmer - Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Communities in Philadelphia, for example, have organized more gardens than any other city in the nation. There are around 465 community vegetable gardens and over 1,000 flower gardens thriving in Philadelphia's neighborhoods. Of the 618 families involved, they have produced over .5 million worth of food in the urban gardens. That is pretty amazing considering that these gardens were started out of virtually nothing - at least that's how the vacant lots were perceived before their transformation. Just imagine what you could produce on a small plot of land and do for the Earth and your family's health...now please take a moment to check out the land we have for sale.

...And please remember that every little thing each of you does will help!