Building and Installing Your Community Garden
Begin installing your garden in late spring. The soil should be thawed and the ground workable. Depending on your plan and resources, these stages could happen over several days or months.
It is important to be organized and to work with your partners throughout the garden installation. Review your list of partners (see Getting Started: Step 2) and make sure you have enough support and expertise during garden installation.
Not sure if you’re ready to build and install your garden yet? Visit our Getting Started section to review everything that should be in place before construction. Check out our Sustaining and Growing the Garden section if your garden is already built.
Section Contents
► Stage 1: Site Preparation
► Stage 2: Building Infrastructure
► Stage 3: Planting the Garden
Stage 1: Site Preparation
You need to prepare the garden site before any building and planting happens. Check with your town regarding permits for development and infrastructure.
First, take care of any bigger projects that require heavy equipment and expertise. This can include levelling the ground, installing water lines, and addressing drainage issues. Be realistic about how long this step might take.
Next, clear the site of any trash or unwanted plant materials. This is a great opportunity to involve the garden committee, community members, and partners. Plan a trip to the dump or coordinate bulk garbage pick-up with your town. Put safety procedures in place for disposing of any hazardous materials.
Finally, prepare the soil for your garden plots. Test the soil if you want to plant directly into the ground. Garden centre soil tests can tell you about soil fertility. Laboratory tests can check for toxic metals or contaminants.
Depending on what the soil tests tell you, bulk order soil or other amendments to fill raised beds or improve in-ground plots. A commonly used blend for starting a garden is "triple-mix," consisting of topsoil, peat moss, and compost. For in-ground plots, consider renting a rototiller to till the soil and mix in necessary amendments.
Soil Testing Contacts in Newfoundland and Labrador
Depending on your needs, local soil testing is available for a fee, from these two labs:
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Services: This lab performs routine soil analysis for home gardeners. Your results will include recommendations for lime and fertilizer applications.
Location: St. John’s (Provincial Agriculture Building)
www.gov.nl.ca/ffa/faa/agrifoods/land/soils/laboratory/
(709) 729-6738 -
Services: This lab offers an ICP (Inductively Coupled Plasma) analysis to test for many elements in soils, including heavy metals such as lead, copper, arsenic, and cadmium.
Location: Springdale
www.easternanalytical.ca
(709) 673-3909
Stage 2: Building Infrastructure
Your garden will have various built items like raised beds, compost bins, greenhouses, and sheds. Remember, you don't have to finish all these in the first year. You can add projects as your garden grows.
Before you build anything, mark out your site plan and make sure it works in practice.
Bring your site map (see Getting Started: Step 4), wooden stakes, and string. Use the stakes and string to mark out the location and size of each element. Once that’s done, walk through the space to see how it flows. When everything feels right, update the site plan and begin building.
Many community gardens hold ‘work days’ for big tasks like filling raised beds or building a shed or walkway. On these days, volunteers and gardeners come together to get the job done. These work days can also be fun and educational. Share water and snacks, or even host a potluck or workshop along with the construction.
Visit our Local Gardens in Action page to see how other gardens have built their infrastructure.
Stage 3: Planting the Garden
Think about what you love to eat and which crops grow well in your area. When starting a new community garden, gardeners must see successful yields. This boosts confidence and excitement.
Here are some tips to make planting fun for everyone.
Share Garden Tools:
Shared garden tools should be sturdy and lightweight so anyone can comfortably use them. Include adaptive tools like left-handed ones, grips for easier lifting, and tools with extra length for reaching further. Also, provide kneeling mats or short stools for working comfortably on low garden beds for long periods.
Use Transplants and Seedlings:
Consider using transplants or seedlings to help new gardeners and kickstart your garden early. You can buy cold-tolerant varieties from garden centers or local farms, or set up indoor lights or a greenhouse to grow your own. Transplanting is crucial for crops with long growing seasons like tomatoes and squash.
Wait until after the first week of June before you start planting outdoors in most parts of Newfoundland and Labrador.
Plant Shared Perennials
Perennial plants are a great addition because they return every year. Consider planting perennials, like some herbs, berry bushes, and fruit trees, in communal garden spaces. Gardeners can share maintenance and harvesting, with opportunities to use the produce in food workshops.
Check out the Sustaining and Growing the Garden section for tips on how to keep your garden running smoothly after planting.
Contact
Contact our staff with any Community Garden Toolkit questions or comments. Email us at info@foodfirstnl.ca or call and leave a message at (709) 237-4026
