Best Plants for Community Gardeners

A common piece of advice for new gardeners is to plant the garden close to the house because it will be easily accessible and frequently in view so it can’t be forgotten. But what about a community garden? Most people can’t tend to their bed at a community garden as often as they would if it were right outside their door. Often times people think that they need to check on their gardens several days a week. That is simply not true!

I’m certainly not down there that often and yet my garden produces food all year no matter how busy my schedule gets. I try to get there twice a week in the summer but I’m happy with once a week. In the winter, sometimes my weekly visit is very short as there’s often not much to do between planting and harvesting.  We can still be successful at a community garden if we pay attention to what we plant and if we take advantage of the “community” aspect of the garden.

 

Best Plants for Community Gardeners

(also great for busy gardeners)

 

Root veggies such as carrots, radishes, beets, and turnips are fantastic choices. Direct sow these seeds and make sure to protect the area from birds so you’ll only have to plant once. Spray emitters work better than drip emitters for keeping the top of the soil evenly damp. This will keep you from having to hand water the area especially in dry climates. (This is the only time I use spray emitters instead of drip emitters). Come back in a few weeks to thin the extra plants. It’s tough to clip off those baby seedlings but ya gotta do it otherwise they won’t have room to reach their full size. Then you just have to wait until they start maturing. Check in when you can for pests and disease issues but usually these are not big problems for root veggies.

 

Bulbs like onions and garlic are great low maintenance crops and they are store well. I like to plant them around the perimeter of my beds because they can deter pests.  Carrots Love Tomatoes is my favorite gardening book about companion planting.  It’s fascinating how some plants benefit or harm the growth of some other plants.  Plus, using plants as pest deterrents if far better than turning to toxic pesticides.

 

Tubers like potatoes are also easy for those with little time to spend in the garden.  Plus, sweet potato vines are really pretty!

 

Herbs are not too picky about being ignored so I count them as low maintenance. The only down fall is that it’s nice to be able to walk out your door to harvest herbs as you prepare meals. At a community garden, you’ll have to plan a bit to make sure you make a trip to the garden for fresh herbs needed for dinner. I prefer to grow herbs in a community garden that I will dry or use to make herbal concoctions. This way the harvest timing isn’t so crucial.

 

Flowers are important for any garden. They bring in beneficial insects including bees that are needed to pollinate our crops. Some deter pests and best of all…they add beauty to our gardens!

Just about everything else will be just fine if you can make it to the garden once a week during harvest time. The timing may not be always perfect but you’ll be close enough.

 

 

 

Keep These Plants at Home!

 

Zucchini and other Squash are often attacked by squash bugs. Pesticides are not that effective so they need to be picked off and thrown in the trash every few days. If you want to try an insecticide, use an organic insecticidal soap but you’ll still need to pick off squash bugs in between applications in order to really control the problem. Once a week visits to you garden won’t be enough.  Also, Zucchini is notorious for being tiny one day and baseball bat sized the next – or so it seems! They’re best picked when small and that stage seems to be so short.

 

Broccoli and cauliflower have so many crevices for aphids and other bugs to hide in so it’s really important to keep on top of any pests that show up. I plant these in my home garden because it’s easier to watch them closely. In our SW desert climate, these can be planted in the spring and again in the fall. I find much fewer bug issues in the fall.

 

Melons also have a short harvest window. Once they get too ripe they can easily split. If they’re not off the ground, bugs quickly get into those cracks. Yes, you can even trellis melons and it’s a fantastic way to fit them into a small garden!

 

Mint is incredibly invasive if not grown in a container. PLEASE do not plant these in a community garden. Ever! They will eventually take over your bed and the volunteers will have to clean it out when you leave.  Always grow mint at home in a pot with a saucer underneath.

 

The Community of Community Gardens

Life sometimes gets busy for all of us. Don’t be afraid to ask for help from your neighbors and return the favor if you see someone struggling. If you don’t know anyone at your garden yet, reach out to the people who run it and ask them for help. We have volunteers in our garden who are happy to keep an eye out for pest, disease and irrigation issues if a garden bed owner is out of commission for a bit. We can also put people in touch with neighbors who can help. Take advantage of the “community” at a community garden by giving help when you can and receiving help when you need it.

I am a busy gardener. My gardens at home and the community garden sometimes get neglected because life can get busy. You can still have a productive garden when other obligations keep you on your toes. These are great plants to grow during those busy stages or at a community garden that you can’t visit often.

Happy Gardening!

 

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