gardens
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Gardens. And the Community. Connecting the Church. A Proposal for Area Churches. The Benefits of Community Gardens. Starting a Community Garden. Benefits for the Church Community Creates community and partnership within the church by allowing different age groups to work together - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
GardensGardensConnecting the Church
And the Community
The Benefits of Community Gardens
Benefits for the Church Community
Creates community and partnership within the church by
allowing different age groups to work together
Brings life and beauty to the Church land
Provides opportunities for parishioners to work with their
hands and be outside
Brings in wholesome, fresh food to the church for things like
potlucks and food pantries
Provides a bridge between the Church and the neighborhood
giving opportunity for relationship formation and outreach
Benefits for the Surrounding Community
Shared work helps to build friendship and solidarity around a common
vision of the good
Allows people without adequate land to grow their own food
Helps create a more sustainable local food network
The natural beauty of the garden enhances the scenic quality of the
surrounding neighborhood
Provides a venue to teach area children about agriculture
Recent studies have shown that community gardens have psychological,
economical, sociological benefits for people
Bring about a sense of pride and ownership for one’s community and the
environment
For more benefits see: http://www.communitygarden.org/whatgood.php
Starting a Community Garden
How to Get Started
1. Find out who is interested. Alert congregation members, but also contact your Neighborhood
Association to see if other community members are interested in starting a garden
2. Make sure that there is at least one community member, possibly a Church Staff member, who
can take charge of maintaining a committee of neighbors for the care of the garden.
3. Choose a site. Make sure the site gets at least 6 full hours of sunlight daily (for vegetables).
4. Test your soil for lead. Lead, found in some kinds of paints before 1978, can cause a serious
health risk to people. If lead is in the soil, leafy green plants will absorb it and ingesting these
plants can be harmful. Check out www.ci.grand-rapids.mi.us/index.pl?page_id=3222 for
more information on Grand Rapids Programs.
5. Identify a water source! If there is no building on the site, negotiate with a neighbor to use
water from their house.
6. Consider how the garden should be organized, how many plots are needed and who should get
which plots.
7. Make a set of rules for those who want to have a plot in the garden. Ensure that all gardeners
are aware of the time-commitment to gardening and create a standard for neatness. By
establishing this before the garden is planted, problems can be avoided and/or dealt with
quickly and efficiently.
8. Consider a community compost heap. This is an excellent way for neighbors to reduce their
waste. Be very intentional about informing every community member about what can and
cannot be put in the compost.
9. Be aware that the first several years may not be as fruitful as expected – the soil will take a
while to develop into good nourishing soil.
10. Make a sign! Let your neighbors know about the garden!
11. Prepare the land and plant your food
12. The American Community Garden Association has an excellent fact sheet with ideas for
starting a community garden. http://www.communitygarden.org/starting.php
Construction Costs
A 50’X50’ garden will generally cost at least $1,000 to construct and prepare for the first growing season.
However, a garden can be prepared for only $200 and later gradually improved if it proves successful. But the
more money put into beautifying the garden, the more it will be enjoyed; an unimproved plot of land will likely
not draw participants and the garden will not be a lasting success.
Tool Shed $400
(Tools can also be kept in storage room or a simple large bin.)
Tools: shovels, rakes, hoes, spades, hoses, wheelbarrow, gloves $300
(Alternatively, large tools for construction can be brought by church members, and smaller tools can be donated by members)
Small fence to ward off vandals: $200+
(If the neighborhood is involved, vandalism and theft will be minimal in most cases even without a fence.)
Raised beds: (lumber and soil) $75+ each
Bench, Path materials, Bulletin board Cost Varies
Soil test Lab Test
$100+ DIY Test $15
Operational Costs
Once the garden is well established and running efficiently, production of vegetables will be one-tenth the
wholesale price. The following costs can be redeemed by renting plots out to gardeners for a season or possibly
by selling some of the produce of the garden.
Water $20 / month
Mulch; Fertilizers & Pest repellents; Seeds and young plants 1/10
wholesale
Examples of Existing Gardens
Heartside Peace Garden
Located at the intersection of Wealthy and
Commerce Ave.
Garden was created in 1996, focusing primarily
on the homeless in the neighboring areas
The vegetables grown by Richa, maintainer and
founder of the garden, are donated to Well
House homeless shelter
6-10 plots available for gardening each summer
Land and water provided by Catholic Secondary
Schools
Contact: [email protected]
Webster Church Community Garden
Located in the heart of Webster Township, near Ann Arbor .
6 plot are available every summer
Designed for people with physical limitations
Church, community members & local boy scouts continue to build
and maintain the garden areas
Church provides land and water
Built on the property of Webster United Church of Christ
Grand Rapids’ Community Gardens
http://www.foodshed.net/committees/gardens.htm
A Proposal for Area Churches
The social and economic significance
of community gardening is gaining
recognition in West Michigan.
Neighborhood organizations, schools,
businesses, and other groups currently
operate about a dozen community
gardens in the Grand Rapids area.
Through this poster, we hope to
encourage area churches with open
land to consider starting a garden for
their members and neighbors.
Links
www.foodshed.com
- Greater Grand Rapids Food Systems Council
- Working to promote and coordinate community gardens in West Michigan
http://www.communitygarden.org
- American Community Gardening Association (ACGA)
- Numerous resources and tips for starting a community garden