Southern Ag Center

In many cities and towns across the country, community gardens are just what the doctor ordered. These small plots of land are cultivated and managed by members of the community who share an interest in producing fresh fruits and vegetables and even flowers for their home use or for sale. Community gardens have many benefits to both the young and old alike and have credited with increasing self esteem, reducing obesity, bolstering confidence, increasing civic participation and reducing stress. If you are interested in finding out more about community gardens, read the steps below and contact your local cooperative extension agent for help.

Gather a group of interest people to brainstorm about the ideal. Check with your county agents for suggestions on how to begin.

Pick a spot for your garden:

Minimum of 6 hours of sunlight;

Adequate water and drainage;

Prepared land for garden site.

Name the garden.

Take all suggestions and either use a lottery or take a vote to ensure fairness in naming.

Gather the basic materials that you will need:

planting, growing and harvesting tools;
seeds, seedlings and fertilizers;
garden tools;
scissors, knives and containers.

Decide what to plant.

Design the site:

Draw a picture of the garden;
Plan what plants in which row or beds. Figure out how far apart plants should
Be and remember that taller plants will shade out short plants;

Test the soil. A basic soil test shows four things:

Lead level of the soil;
Ph of the soil;
Nutrient level of the soil;
Organic matter content.

Get the tools.

Long-handled shovels, gardening spades, spading forks, hoes and rakes are a bare minimum.

Prepare the soil:

Till soil then form up rows or beds;
If needed, add lime, sulfur or fertilizers.

Get ready to plant:

Buy seeds or seedlings; Check with local county agent for recommended varieties;
Write names of plants on stakes with a waterproof marker and place at the end of each row;

Plant seeds and / or seedlings;

If planting seeds, water the soil immediately after the seeds are planted;
If planting seedlings, feed with a mixture of fertilizer and water once, let soak in and water a second time.

Work you garden:

Visit garden daily and monitor progress. Conduct needed chores.
Check with local county agent for pesticide recommendations.

Harvest:

Gather harvest tools: scissors or knives, baskets, bowls or boxes;
As produce are picked, place carefully into container. Put heavier ones on bottom so that they do not damage lighter produce;
Store vegetables under recommended conditions until use, delivery or sale.

Community Gardens

Community Gardens are plots of land in a community managed by a group of people who live in close proximity and share an interest in producing fresh fruits, vegetables, herbs or flowers for their personal use or for sale.

Community gardens provide benefits for all those involved. Children especially benefit from participating in community gardening. Some of the documented benefits include:

Social Benefits:

Cultivating community leaders
Increasing self esteem
Bolstering confidence
Increasing civic participation
Reducing stress
Encouraging learning
Increased academic performance

Physical Benefits:

Helping feed people and saving money
Improving nutrition
Promoting healthier communities
Reducing crime

Community Benefits:

Promote healthier communities
Safe meeting place
Source of pride for all involved
Improved the appearance of community

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON STARTING A COMMUNITY GARDEN CONTACT:

East Baton Rouge Parish Terrence Marshall 805 St. Louis Street Baton Rouge, LA 70802 (225) 389-3056	Ag Center Owusu Bandele, Ph.D.or Mila Berhane Baton Rouge, LA 70813 (225) 771-2262
St. Helena	East/West Carroll Glenn Dixon 502 First Street Lake Providence (318) 559-0060
St. Martin and Iberia Parishes Chris Robichaux,Ph.D. 114 Courthouse Street Breaux Bridge, LA 70517 (337) 332-2181	Rapides Parish Terry Washington 300 Grady Britt Drive. Alexandria, LA 71302 (318) 767-3968
Morehouse Parish Odis Hill 9609 Martlett Street Bastrop, LA 71221 (318) 281-5742	St. Landry Parish Mr. Gerald Roberts Mr. Ron Nicholas 1065 Hwy 749, Suite A Opelousas, LA 70570 (337) 948-0561
Orleans Parish Hendrix Broussard 6640 Riverside Drive Ste. 200 Metarie, LA 70003 (504) 838-1170	Madison Parish (318) 574-2465

Read about Community Gardens started by Southern University Ag Center agents, researchers, and specialists: Soil Survivors

For more information, contact Dawn Mellion-Patin, Ph.D., agriculture specialist at (225) 771-2242 ext. 210 or dawn_patin@suagcenter.com.

Adapted from: University of Maine Cooperative Extension Bulleting #4300. Food for Me: A Citizen Action Fact Sheet for Community Food Recovery.

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