[Community_garden] Rough notes on plot size

[Sharon Gordon]

Don, thank you for the notes.  Responses inserted with *** preceeding them.
Sharon

> (Sorry, this is long and unedited - but I'd like
> feedback as I draw things up this week, and at least a
> couple people said they' d like to see it - don)
>
> Notes on community garden plot size
>
> There's no one "right" size for community garden
> plots. Some successful gardens have tiny plots of 1
> meter square (10 ft2); plots in English and German
> allotments that have been thriving for 100 years
> sometimes are vast, over 100 m2 (>1000 ft2) or more.
>
> Figuring out how large to make plots is a key question
> for some community gardener organizers, while others
> dismiss the issue as unimportant, since simply making
> beds a certain size doesn't necessarily do anything to
> help build community involvement and support.
>
> Personally, I think plot size is a significant garden
> design element that deserves mindful consideration.
> While sensible plot design will not ensure garden
> success, it can greatly reduce problems, help the
> garden appear more attractive, and make life more
> productive and peaceful for gardeners and managers
> alike.

***If plots are not square, orientation is important too.  If plots are the
longest dimension on the north and south sides. Then beds can run longest
across the long dimension and take advantage of sun by having taller crops
in beds toward the north end while using less space for paths.

*** If the garden is on an east or west facing slope, you may want to make
the East and West sides the longest so beds can go on coutour to help with
erosian while losing the least amount to paths.  In this case taller crops
can be planted on the north end of beds.

>
> Garden plot is a function of several key variables.
> Finding the right size depends on how you and your
> gardeners want to balance these factors. Among the
> most important, in no particular order in terms of
> importance, are:
>
> * Amount (and shape) of land available: If you only
> have a little strip between the sidewalk and the
> street, you've got to work with that. If you can use a
> big section of public park, it's a different story
> (just be sure to be sure that the park district
> includes the garden in the park's official 'master
> plan'). Some small places can still make great
> community garden projects, though not necessarily
> vegetable plots 'for rent'.
>
> * Water availability: Vegetable gardens need ample,
> reliable water. Don't make more plots than you have
> water for, no matter how big you make each bed.

***Also consider how many faucets you can have.  Affording hoses all the way
to your plot is a consideration for many.  Getting access to a faucet is
also important.  Are there enough that people can water during peak times
before and after work.  If your area is under drought watering restrictions
some years and you can only water from midnight to 6 am on odd numbered days
in a garden with no lighting, will only the few people who can water from
5-6am have surviving gardens?

>
> * Equipment constraints: You need to be able to keep
> up your garden area and prepare the soil (often best
> done with the help of a local farmer's tractor - yep,
> there are still some around, even near big cities - or
> somebody else's (landscaper, city parks dept). If you
> will be limited to hand tools, be careful not to bite
> off too much space. Plan to grow incrementally
> instead.

***Also investigate group tiller rentals in your area. Can a tiller be
delivered and used by 10 or more people in one day?  Or do you have someone
who can teach the double digging that goes with biointensive gardening which
is better for the soil and avoids the need for tilling?  Our sites have a
number of 80-90+ year olds that do all their own digging.  They do it
steadily a bit at a time so their plots always look nice and they don't have
any injuries from doing too much at once.

>
> * Soil conditions: In cities (everywhere really), you
> need to be very careful to check the soil for
> persistent contamination. If it is clean, but too hard
> and rocky to work, your plots may have to be in framed
> beds. Same goes for soils that drain poorly. These can
> greatly increase costs (see below).

***Also if you have a lot of rocks, consider using the rocks to build the
beds and fill them according to the soil/compost making instructions in the
Lasagne gardening books.  That way you can do it with little or no expense.

>
> * Shade and other site factors: On many urban sites,
> buildings or trees shade areas and compete for water,
> making plots in one part of the garden much more
> productive and desirable than others. Rather than just
> 'do a grid', you may want to reserve this kind of
> 'problem spot' as a place for the compost pile (all
> gardens need one...) or turn a liability into an asset
> by making a shady gathering place under that old oak
> instead of unproductive plots.

***At our sites people also use the plots in the shade or the side of the
plot in the shade to advantage to grow greens and other cool weather plots
much further into the summer.  This can make rotating crops a bit more
difficult though.

>
> Amount of food desired: Generally, the larger the
> area, the more food you can grow. Older books suggest
> (for instance, NC State's home garden guide) a garden
> size of 1000 ft2 (about 90 m2). 'Serious' gardeners,
> especially those who drive to their garden, often want
> at least 20ftx20ft gardens, 400 ft2 (6mx6m, 36m2).
> (20x20 is something of a 'standard' size, used in
> Portland, OR's gardens, the huge 15 acre community
> garden in Hilton Head SC (25x25, actually) and many
> other 'drive to' gardens). For walk-to gardens in
> inner cities, much smaller beds can work fine - in
> Charlotte's Dovetail Garden, plots are about 1m2 (10
> ft2) and in strange artsy shapes.
>
> Garden's purpose (art, recreation, food, therapy...):
> Adam's garden on Clinton St in Hell's Kitchen NYC also
> has veggie plots not much bigger than 10ft2.

***I've seen references to the Clinton gardens indicating they are
5x7 feet, 5x8 feet, somethingx9 feet, and about the size of a queen size
bed.  What's their actual size?  When I'm telling people about how it's
worth it to have even a small plot, usually with Clinton being the example,
I'd love to be able to quote the statistics accurately.

***The standard size in the UK is the 10 pole/rod allotment which is usually
30x90-91 feet.
See sample plan
http://www.earthlypursuits.com/AllotGuide/DigforVictory1/DigForVictory1_1.htm
People tell me that historically you could feed a family of 4-5 pretty well
on 4 allotments.
 Some would have vegetables,
some permanent plantings of fruit trees, nut shrubs, fruit shrubs,  bramble
fruits, small fruits, herbs, asparagus
Some would have small or medium size animal pens and food for the animals.

***One of the extra nice things about the 30x90 plots is that gardeners are
allowed to put small sheds and greenhouses on them, thus increasing what
they can grow, onsite water colletction, etc.

***Aesthetically, gardens, garden rooms, rooms in houses, photographs,
framed art, sheets of paper, etc usually look best if they are rectangles.
Generally humans seem to prefer dimensions that are in the following
proportions:
1x1.5
1x1.67
1x2
1x3
2x3
3x4

***From an intensive planting standpoint, you can get the most use of your
garden if the garden is a multiple of of biointensive bed width and path
plus one more path.  Minimally this is usually (4+1 foot) + 1 foot.  However
I have noticed that most people fall/stumble less if their paths are 1.5 to
2 feet wide inside their garden and they can squat more safely next to a
fence..  Between gardens or groups of gardens 3 or more feet is nice for
wheelbarrow and mower access.

 Both of
> these 'micro-plot' urban gardens also have, however,
> very large, attractive common areas that function as a
> virtual park for the community. Folks do get some good
> food from their mini-plot, but the production can't be
> the same as for a large plot garden. However, there is
> another harvest of involvement and engagement. We have
> a very innovative and successful community garden here
> in Charlotte (June Blotnick helped organize it) with
> no vegetable beds at all.
>
> Garden design: Some gardens, such as those on
> hillsides in Seattle, end up with lovely curving paths
> and plots shaped more like teardrops or almonds than
> strict square beds. Much depends on the preferences
> and skills of the garden designer - and how well s/he
> can communicate the design to the folks who actually
> do the digging and layout. For design, both size and
> shape matter. The key is the boundary - how each
> gardener knows where their plot begins and ends. Clear
> boundaries make many management problems (weeding,
> theft) much easier to sort out. (Which goes along with
> clean signage marking plots, and a clear, coded map of
> the garden).
>
> Gardeners' ability to keep the plot neat: Here's the
> hidden problem for those drive-to 20x20s. Unless a
> gardener is serious, a plot that size can very quickly
> become a weedy mess, especially in warm climate areas.
> So, you don't want beds to be larger than your
> gardeners can keep up with - or, I think better, you
> want a sensible choice of garden plot size available
> depending on the gardener. (Also, that way, if you
> have a weedmonger, you can 'downsize' them for the
> next season, rather than 'kick them out'.)
>
> Mindset of the organizing person, managing agency or
> main funder, or (less often) the garden designer: This
> can be maddening - somebody with authority (mayor,
> parks director, rich funder.) can arbitrarily come up
> with a bed size they 'like' (say 4x16, or 10x20) and
> simply impose it, and that will be that. You have to
> work hard to make your case for a more sensible
> overall design, and do your homework. Also, you need
> to take the time and effort to draw up a proper plan,
> and be willing and able to so out and mark it in the
> garden, on the ground - and stick around to help with
> creating. (See the note below on paths and bed
> dimensions).
>
> Use of framing to enclose beds: Another maddening
> factor. 'Framed' beds, usually using landscape
> timbers, appeal greatly to some people, including
> funders. They want to see something tangible. (These
> are often called 'raised beds', but you can raise soil
> level without a frame - just look at any commercial
> vegetable farm. Raised beds and framed beds are two
> different things). The big disadvantages of framed
> beds are that they are very inflexible - once in place
> you are stuck with them, and they make large-scale
> plowing or mowing impossible when/if you need that -,
> the materials usually cost a lot of money (the framing
> material, then the fill soil), and the sad fact of how
> forlorn they look when abandoned.

***If people do like wood framed beds, try to get them to use  naturally rot
resistant wood rather than the toxic treated woods.  Also consider available
wood sizes when choosing garden sizes.  Being able to construct a 4x8/10/12
etc bed without wasting wood or garden space is of benefit to maximizing
production and minimizing expense of edging.
>
> Framing is very valuable in certain situations where
> the existing soil is so bad it can't be worked (this
> happens in cities - I just faced this last year, and
> put in 4 framed beds). Also, framing beds can be used
> to increase access by physically challenged folks who
> want to garden. As a rule of thumb, though, unless
> your space is severely limited, I'd question the need
> to make a whole garden of framed beds. If you want to
> go that route, I'd suggest using masonry (blocks)
> instead of wood framing.
>
> Each community garden's unique history: Sometimes, a
> garden is created ad hoc by citizen activists with no
> garden experience at all. Then it grows, and changes,
> and adapts. One area floods out - that becomes a weed
> patch, then morphs into a charming pond thanks to a
> high school student partnering with a senior citizen.
> So, the plots have a history. Be very careful if you
> go into an existing garden or any space with
> established uses with an eye to changing things -
> there's a history there that you'd better respect.
> That becomes true very fast in a community garden -
> people quickly become attached to their particular
> plot in ways much deeper than the amount of money they
> spend on it for compost.
>
> In the spirit of Steward Brand's wonderful book 'How
> Buildings Learn', garden designs and the plot plan
> need to be able to 'learn' - to adapt to changes and
> become better community garden spaces.
>
> For that reason, I'm now leaning toward (in my own
> community garden, if I can get the powers that be to
> agree.) a 'nesting' strategy, where there is a basic
> plot of 20ftx20ft (6mx6m), which can be easily
> subdivided into 4 10x10s. (I can't decide if it should
> be 20x20 or 24x24, so there is room for a 4' (1.2m)
> path if the plot is split - I have strong feelings
> that paths should be wide enough for people and garden
> carts, and that good paths make better neighbors -
> though gardeners then need to keep weeds out of the
> paths next to their beds - or someone does...
>

***When doing the nesting strategy, it is also good to have a number of
gardens that are always kept whole as it's easier if all your garden is
together.  Mix these all throughout the garden though so you will have
experienced gardeners in all sections of the garden to informally help the
new gardeners.

> Last thought: about paths and bed dimensions. I prefer
> squares for the plot shape in a 'no nonsense'
> veggie/food garden. The reason is math, basically. The
> ratio of perimeter to area is lower for a square than
> for a rectangle. So a path around a 20x20 400 ft2 bed
> is 80 feet. A path around a 10x20 bed is 60 feet - 3/4
> as long - but that bed contains only half as much
> space, 200 ft2. Put another way, if you wanted 400 ft2
> of gardening space and use beds 4 ft wide, you'd need
> a bed 100 ft long, with a path of 208 ft around it.
> Since maximizing gardening space is important, I like
> squares. (organic shapes also can work, since the most
> efficient ratio of area to perimeter is a circle - but
> that raises other questions).
>
> I'm interested to hear if others would toss some of my
> factors, and/or suggest others.

***Square is good from a fencing expense standpoint.  However if you grow
things up your fences, you get more edge with a rectangle.  See also
aesthethic comments above.

***Another set of  issues is how many people you are trying to feed from a
garden and the function of the garden.  If you are trying to feed one person
a daily salad during the growing season, you can do a great job with a 4x4
or 4x6 foot plot.  At the other end of the spectrum, if you are trying to
get enough food for complete nutrition for one person for a year in a
sustainable biointensive manner, you can do a good job in most places with a
6-8 month growing season with  a 4500 square foot plot  (50x90 for example).

***Some data from experienced local gardeners would help with figuring out
how much food can be grown on the local land.  A new gardener on a new plot
with fair soil can grow a goodly amount.  And as they gain experience,
knowledge or varieties that do well in the area, and improve the condition
of their soil, they can grow a lot more.  Data in Jeavons How to Grow
book(2006 edition)  is good for illustrating this.  So a new gardener with
new soil could actually need quite a bit more land than an expereinced
gardener who has had the same plot for awhile.  However too big a plot tends
to lead to them being overwhelmed and having trouble keeping up as you
noted.  Bartholomew talks about this in his Square Foot gardening books and
encourages people to start small and do well and then slowly add to their
garden space.  However this strategy runs into problems in a community
garden plot as people can wind up with scattered tiny plots if they add
piecemeal or being threatened about their weeds if they only work 1/4 of
their plot the first year.  In some areas people deal with this by planting
cover crops in 3/4 of their plot the first year or covering 3/4 with
plastic, mulch, or natural fiber waste carpet the first year.  Then they
steadily convert the other areas to garden beds.

***Size can also be affected by the importance a local culture gives to
gardening activities.  As more places are realizing the importance of local
food, the desire to garden is increasing.  I've noticed that Local Food
Challenges are sparking an increase in the desire to garden as well.  As
more gardens go into schools via the Slow Food and other school garden
programs, more children and teens  value gardens and have the skills to
create and maintain them.  Although we are not there yet, I am hopeful that
more people will make plans to garden together rather than to aimlessly
wander malls together and that people will be looking for friends to add to
their garden foursome rather than their bridge foursome or their golf
foursome.  Then the biggest question will be whose garden to begin working
in first on a given day.  And before too long I am hoping that more monday
morning water cooler discussions will consist of information about new
recipes for  tomatoes, which greens last the longest in the local winters,
and how well that local heirloom bean does.  Instead of reports on new
fashion acquisitions or current golf handicaps, people might instead have
news about the percent of local food their family ate and.or grew in the
past week.

Sharon
gordonse at one.net