Why Garden?
Food costs are high. Food safety is increasingly in question. People are struggling with increasing rates of chronic diseases. The planet is getting warmer. What to do?
Grow a garden!
Growing some of your own food can take a delicious the bite out of a hefty food bill. Local garden produce is fresher, more wholesome, and less likely to be contaminated than food shipped from miles away and stored in excessive packaging. Gardening helps people eat better and stay active which lowers their risk of heart disease, obesity, adult-onset diabetes, and high blood pressure. It’s a great stress-reliever, too. Think of the gardeners you know—aren’t most happier, healthier people? Environmentally, gardening honors the original solar technology: photosynthesis – the process of turning carbon (dioxide) into calories compliments of sunshine and releasing oxygen along the way.
Gardening truly can make a positive impact on the multiplicity of personal, societal, and environmental problems facing us today.
So, read on, then dig in!
Why community garden?
Community gardens develop and revitalize unused or abandoned spaces into attractive, food-producing plots for the benefit of groups—whether urban, suburban, or rural. These gardens are great for people seeking social interaction and sharing in the beautification of their neighborhood. The interactions that occur may lead to new relationships between individuals and their community at large. Community gardening can foster intergenerational and multi-cultural connections which lead to stronger, healthier communities. Preservation of green space, increased ecological awareness and biodiversity, and reduced crime rates are some more of the great results of citizens coming together to grow food.
Why home garden?
Home gardening levels the economic field by providing physical activity and fresh, organic vegetables for all who put in a little effort. Growing produce at home avoids the costs of plot rent and transportation to an offsite garden. Home gardens usually take less time and are more likely to grow well since they are seen everyday and often many times a day. Home gardening may pull the family together around the common goal of growing some of their own delicious food. Also, a home garden is family-friendly since the little ones can learn to help, there is no need for childcare, and it’s a great venue to draw on the gardening wisdom of grandparents and older neighbors. Small home gardens can easily be adapted for folks with physical limitations. And think how it will beautify your yard!
Why Square Foot garden?
Square Foot Gardening ™(SFG) is a unique gardening concept developed by Mel Bartholomew over 30 years ago. Small, sturdy raised beds filled with a top quality planting mix and gridded into one foot squares are the basis for efficient, economic, simplified gardening. Mel estimates that 100% of the produce from a traditional garden can be grown in 20% of the space in a square foot garden, using only 10% of the water, 5% of the seeds, 2% of the effort, and 0% of the weeds! This system is a boon to those with limited time, money, gardening experience, or knowledge.