<p>*Gardens are possible anywhere. According to Boston Urban Gardeners, "Carrie Sargent, resident of a drug- and crime-torn section of Boston, had a vision to create a community garden. She worked to have one of the many empty lots on her street, a site for illegal dumping, crime, and abandoned and stolen cars, purchased by a local nonprofit organization to turn into a garden... Today it's a flourishing community garden, a safe, beautiful place for neighbours to meet and grow food together."<br /><br />START A COMMUNITY GARDEN<br /><br />*Get people involved. According to one expert, you need a core of 3-5 people to start a community garden and see it through. Find out which of your friends or neighbours are interested.<br /><br />Choose a Spot.<br /><br />*Make it accessible to everyone. It could be in a backyard, an empty lot, even on church grounds or a vacant spot.<br /><br />*If you see a vacant lot you like, find out how to contact the owner and ask permission to use it. He or she may prefer a well-maintained garden to a weed-covered lot.<br /><br />*If it's city property, there may be a program that encourages the use of vacant lots for community purposes. Ask the BDA!.<br /><br />*If you think the soil may have been contaminated by chemicals or pollution, get it tested. Call a nursery for details.<br /><br />*Decide what to plant: flowers, vegetables, native plants...or some of each? Consider including native plants. Try the aloe, marigolds, garlic, lemon grass etc.<br /><br />*Decide if the garden could be a food source for garden members or the community. For example, you could donate vegetables to a food pantry.<br /><br />*Short on space? If you don't have enough room for a full garden, use planter boxes. They fit almost anywhere, and they're movable.<br /><br />RESOURCES<br /><br />*The City Gardener's Handbook, by Linda Yang (Random House, Inc.) (800)733-3000 Concentrates on the design of small city gardens, an aspect most beginning gardeners ignore.<br /><br />*A Hand book of Community Gardening, Boston Urban Gardeners.</p>
<p>*Gardens are possible anywhere. According to Boston Urban Gardeners, "Carrie Sargent, resident of a drug- and crime-torn section of Boston, had a vision to create a community garden. She worked to have one of the many empty lots on her street, a site for illegal dumping, crime, and abandoned and stolen cars, purchased by a local nonprofit organization to turn into a garden... Today it's a flourishing community garden, a safe, beautiful place for neighbours to meet and grow food together."<br /><br />START A COMMUNITY GARDEN<br /><br />*Get people involved. According to one expert, you need a core of 3-5 people to start a community garden and see it through. Find out which of your friends or neighbours are interested.<br /><br />Choose a Spot.<br /><br />*Make it accessible to everyone. It could be in a backyard, an empty lot, even on church grounds or a vacant spot.<br /><br />*If you see a vacant lot you like, find out how to contact the owner and ask permission to use it. He or she may prefer a well-maintained garden to a weed-covered lot.<br /><br />*If it's city property, there may be a program that encourages the use of vacant lots for community purposes. Ask the BDA!.<br /><br />*If you think the soil may have been contaminated by chemicals or pollution, get it tested. Call a nursery for details.<br /><br />*Decide what to plant: flowers, vegetables, native plants...or some of each? Consider including native plants. Try the aloe, marigolds, garlic, lemon grass etc.<br /><br />*Decide if the garden could be a food source for garden members or the community. For example, you could donate vegetables to a food pantry.<br /><br />*Short on space? If you don't have enough room for a full garden, use planter boxes. They fit almost anywhere, and they're movable.<br /><br />RESOURCES<br /><br />*The City Gardener's Handbook, by Linda Yang (Random House, Inc.) (800)733-3000 Concentrates on the design of small city gardens, an aspect most beginning gardeners ignore.<br /><br />*A Hand book of Community Gardening, Boston Urban Gardeners.</p>
