Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Garden Plans

[RowenaHC (RowenaHC]

We've just finished our second year and the first was very late getting 
started, so we don't have in-depth experience, but I can tell you what seems 
to be working and what doesn't.

The first experience was a doozy.  Because we built on an old industrial site 
we had nothing that could really be called soil, so we trucked it it - four 
enormous truckloads.  It had been raining for a week so everything was 
sloppy.  When the first load arrived it looked strange - black and sticky - 
so we called the shipper and found that the person who arranged the shipment 
had ordered compost instead of composted loam!   Panic all round while we 
decided what to do - turned out it was on its way and we didn't have much 
choice.   Outside people with shovels and wheelbarrows were moving the first 
load into place to make room for the next load.  It kept coming.  We kept 
shovelling and wheeling.  The kids were making forts and mudslides.  Everyone 
was black from top to bottom.  What a start!   But we agreed that it was a 
community building activity.....

So we had three feet of "articfical" compost, made from cranberries, wood 
ash, fishmeal and I forget whatall else - very fine, very black, very 
strange!   We went on hunting expeditions and found leaves, grass cuttings, 
salt marsh hay, etc., etc., and rototilled it in.   Unfortunately it added 
even more nitrogen but at least it improved the texture.  At that point 
(beginning of June) we divided it into raised beds about four feet wide, 
threw in seeds and seedlings and let it rip.  A jungle!  But believe me green 
was a great improvement over black sludge.  Since then we have been adding 
real compost from our composters along with the masses of worms and other 
beneficial critters and bacteria that come with it.  Now when we dig in it we 
can see the dirt is becoming a living organism and is starting to smell like 
the real stuff.  Lovely!

Over the winter we discussed what to do this year.  There was general 
consensus that it would be a communal garden rather than divided up into 
"private" allottments, although a couple of people wanted their own plot and 
ended up getting one in the city community garden which is only a block or so 
away.  A lot of people wanted to participate; many people expressed interest 
in one crop; someone wanted to organize a children's garden.
We decided to ask for volunteers to become a "steward" of a particular crop 
on a particular raised bed and people signed up to do that.  We had  
tomatoes, peas, beans, peppers, eggplant, various greens, herbs, cutting 
flowers, various squash, strawberries, etc.   

Initially, the stewards got organized, bought seedlings and seeds, etc.   
However, it rapidly became clear that while many people are interested in the 
planting and harvesting, only a few care to weed, mulch, prune, pick bugs, 
etc.!    For those of us who are "dirty hands" types it was frustrating 
because we didn't want to seem pushy and take over.  Some of the others were 
embarrassed because they didn't keep their plots in order.  Some plots turned 
into weed patches.  Despite the frustrations, we got a lot of produce.  It's 
a pick it as you need it system.  If there is enough of something to provide 
a common meal for our large group it is reserved for that purpose.  Everyone 
loves to come by and stare at the stuff growing - even those who never 
actually pick anything!  And the kids all love to help pick - even those who 
won't eat veggies!

 I recently talked with the gardeners at Pioneer Valley, who've got a few 
years on us.  
They started off with a lot of people and are now down to a small team of 
about four people who "own" the veggie garden.  The team is happy because 
they love the work and know what needs to be done.  The non-gardeners 
breathed a sign of relief.  The occasional gardeners turn up from time to 
time to help.   The crops are properly cared for and they are getting 
bountiful amounts of food.   They call it an "affinity team" and I'm going to 
propose something similar for us at Cambridge Coho.

One frustration last year was to see wonderful produce rotting.  I love to 
grow stuff but I'm darned if I'm going to pick it and deliver it to the door 
except for common meals!   Part of the problem was the overgrowth and 
disorganization of parts of the garden (for instance tomatoes planted much to 
close together), which should be solved if we have a team approach.  The 
other problem of identification was solved brilliantly by Pioneer Valley, who 
have little wooden signs for each crop with the name of the veggie and hooks 
on which they add signs saying things like:  Not Ready Yet; Ready to Eat; 
Save for Common Meal, etc.  I'm hoping to get our carpentry types working on 
these this winter.

I don't know how helpful this is, but maybe it'll raise your consciousness on 
some issues.   Good digging!
Rowena
CambridgeCoho