Iowa Gardening For Good

Community Volunteer Gardens

 

It doesnt take much area to grow a garden. It does, however, take some planning and labor.  But if the labor can be taken in shifts, it is not as daunting a task.  So, one of our goals is to help set up other gardens.  I have spoken to a number of groups on how to organize and set up a garden and have supplied some of the supplies for a 1/2 acre garden at the church our family is part of.

 

The garden was a horse pasture that became vacant when the pastor left.  We set up the garden to give food to the local food pantries and the congregation as well as anyone that was interested.

 

We found that setting a couple of times a week for people to come help was the best way to get participation.  We set the dates on a Tuesday evening and Saturday morning.  The Tuesday was good to match the opening times for the local food pantries and the Saturday was good to have produce for the congregation.  The production was way above the needs for the four local food pantries we wanted to support.

 

It seemed that some people were reluctant to take the produce on Sunday mornings unless they had helped.  When we put a donation pot on the table for people to donate to world hunger, people gave to that and were then more likely to take some of the harvest.  They didn't feel they should take without first giving - what a great attitude!

 

We have not done very much on this topic yet, but hope to ramp up our efforts on this goal.  As we progress, we hope to have some resource guides for people interested in starting a community garden in their area.  

 

If you would like to learn more or start one in your area, pleas contact us through the contact tab at the top of the website.  We are always happy to share what we have learned through our experience.