[Community_garden] Sample garden plan plot guides

[Sharon Gordon]

Don, I would appreciate seeing this and your notes.

What I'm looking for is something like
http://www.earthlypursuits.com/AllotGuide/DigforVictory1/DigForVictory1_1.htm

with info like the following with diagrams
Garden is 22x25 feet with the north end being 22 feet.
Center path running 25 foot direction, 2 feet wide.
Bed on each side of center path is 4x10.
Fenced all around
We recommend
Fence at north end
1.5 foot path at north end
4 foot wide bed  1, 2(with 2 beds each 4x10, etc)
1.5 foot path
4 foot wide bed 3, 4
1.5 foot path
4 foot wide bed 5, 6
1.5 foot  path
4 foot wide bed 7, 8
1.5 foot path
4 foot wide bed 9,10
1.5 foot path
Fence and gate at south end

In year I, plant A and B in Bed 1
C, D, E in Bed 2 and so on
....
Plant perennial herbs  and/or a few edible flowers in Bed 9 and strawberries
and raspberries in Bed 10.
...
with suggestions for proportion of each bed to be planted to each item.

In Year 2, rotate Bed 1 to Bed 3
...
and Bed 7 to Bed 1.
And perhaps include a few more challenging plants than were used in year
one.
Add a perennial herb or flower to the last foot next to the fence in the
paths on the east and west fences.

And then a chart that gives people basic info on when/how to plant seeds,
flats, and transplants for the sample garden.

And for the whole thing to focus on mostly favorite foods that do well in
the area with a few new items to expand people's experiences.  For instance
if the group already loves the typical southern US greens, you might add an
Asian green.  If they are big summer squash fans, you might add a butternut
or two.

Sharon
gordonse at one.net

> Funny thing - I'm right now doing a design for an
> expanded garden in Charlotte, so this is very timely.
> I look forward to hearing from everyone about plot
> size.
>
> Sharon, before talking about that, I have to say that
> paths, gathering places, a communication board of some
> kind, locating water and emergency vehicle access
> (also works for compost/bulky stuff loads) are all as
> important as plots. Close behind, maybe tied, is some
> place to go to the bathroom. The fenceline, if you
> have a fence, is also a design issue, so is the gate.
>
> If folks want to see it, I can post my notes so far on
> plot design and size. I'm leaning toward 20x20s (or
> 24x24s) that can easily subdivide into 10x10s for
> gardeners wanting smaller plots. This is a drive-to
> garden in a park, total size about 1 1/2 acres.
>
>