MAINE-LY GARDENING: A community gathers to garden

Raised garden beds.

by Jude Hsiang

A group of residents of China are forming a community garden to be ready for planting this spring. It will join the list of community gardens around Maine. There are several types of cooperative gardens just as there are several reasons that bring people together to garden.

The typical community garden in the US provides small plot rented by the season. A 4-foot by 8-foot raised bed garden, like those in the China Community Garden, can provide a nice harvest: vegetables, herbs, flowers. There will be a space devoted to attracting pollinators, and children will be encouraged to lend a hand there when they are not busy in their family’s patch. Extra produce will be collected to donate to the China Food Pantry. All gardeners will share in the general upkeep.

Some people don’t have a yard, or even an apartment balcony where they could have a few container plants. Others have gardened in the past, but aging bodies make it a struggle. People with disabilities or recovering from injury may also find the physical challenges too much to take on alone. Folks who’ve never grown so much as a small houseplant feel the urge to raise vegetables or flowers and want to learn from experienced gardeners. Families with children realize gardening with other people makes gardening a social event, not a chore. Experienced gardeners help learners; and all can learn tips from each other.

“Soup kitchen” or “food pantry” gardens tend to be large, perhaps an acre or more, and the volunteers don’t grow for themselves, but share the work to provide for people in need. These gardens are often teaching gardens as well, with children’s areas, or demonstrations for others in the community.

Some group gardening projects are focused on esthetics. Many garden clubs select public areas such as a town hall, library, or an odd, neglected street corner to beautify, proving all the plants and labor.

In Europe and the United Kingdom, allotment gardens have been a fixture of many municipalities since the Industrial Revolution caused rural people to move from their villages. The local Council (town government) sets aside common land and rents space for a small fee. There might be six to eight plots per acre. The gardeners keep their space from year to year as long as they are able to pay the fee and take care of the plot. The size of the plots permits small greenhouses or sheds, if desired.

School gardens have been increasingly popular. However, they can be a challenge as the height of gardening season occurs when school is out for summer in Maine. Some Community Gardens address the challenge by setting aside plots for use by school groups to grow vegetables for local food pantries.

Whether you garden at home or away, on your own or as a member of a group, we wish you a fruitful season.

© Judith Chute Hsiang
Jude Hsiang is a retired Extension Master Gardener Instructor and member of the China Community Garden Committee.