OVERVIEW
Location of Garden: East side of Alex Taylor School at 9321 Jasper Avenue.
Number of Plots: 17 total - 10 raised beds, 4 square foot garden boxes and 3 ground-level plots.
Plot Size: Ten plots are 4' wide x 24' to 32' long. Four plots are 4 x 4'. Three plots are 10 x 10'.
Total Garden Size: 165' x 75'
Number of Participants (2012): 39
Participant Criteria: None
Gardening Style: Raised beds, square foot garden boxes and ground level areas.
Fertilizer / Pesticide Use: Only organic products.
Fee: $20 ($15 refundable at end of season if garden is cleaned out and key returned).
HISTORY The Alex Taylor Community Garden began in 2004 as an initiative of E4C’s School Lunch Program. The initial premise was that the garden would be utilized to support initiatives around food security, expand resources available to our food-based programs, and above all, to provide the opportunity for clients of E4C programs to enjoy the benefits of gardening. Gardening space would also be available to community members, if not fully utilized by E4C programs. In the first season, five programs gardened, as well as four community members. Over the next two years the programs struggled in their efforts to involve clients, so decided to no longer operate the garden.
In the 2012 season, all of the gardeners are local community residents growing a wonderful mix of vegetables, herbs, fruit, and flowering plants. Each of the gardeners plants and maintains their own garden plot. We also have common areas that gardeners work on collectively. These areas include: (1) a small herb garden, (2) a fruit garden with rhubarb, strawberries, raspberry canes and black currant bushes, and (3) perennial garden beds along the inside of the fence in the garden.
Number of Plots: 17 total - 10 raised beds, 4 square foot garden boxes and 3 ground-level plots.
Plot Size: Ten plots are 4' wide x 24' to 32' long. Four plots are 4 x 4'. Three plots are 10 x 10'.
Total Garden Size: 165' x 75'
Number of Participants (2012): 39
Participant Criteria: None
Gardening Style: Raised beds, square foot garden boxes and ground level areas.
Fertilizer / Pesticide Use: Only organic products.
Fee: $20 ($15 refundable at end of season if garden is cleaned out and key returned).
HISTORY The Alex Taylor Community Garden began in 2004 as an initiative of E4C’s School Lunch Program. The initial premise was that the garden would be utilized to support initiatives around food security, expand resources available to our food-based programs, and above all, to provide the opportunity for clients of E4C programs to enjoy the benefits of gardening. Gardening space would also be available to community members, if not fully utilized by E4C programs. In the first season, five programs gardened, as well as four community members. Over the next two years the programs struggled in their efforts to involve clients, so decided to no longer operate the garden.
CURRENT
In the 2012 season, all of the gardeners are local community residents growing a wonderful mix of vegetables, herbs, fruit, and flowering plants. Each of the gardeners plants and maintains their own garden plot. We also have common areas that gardeners work on collectively. These areas include: (1) a small herb garden, (2) a fruit garden with rhubarb, strawberries, raspberry canes and black currant bushes, and (3) perennial garden beds along the inside of the fence in the garden.
In the past we have been very fortunate to have the resources available to design and build the community garden in the way that we want to. The raised beds are ideal. We have great soil, two compost bins, a reliable water source (from the school and a large rain barrel system), a garden shed with a variety of gardening tools, and a great mix of gardeners! We try to have monthly get-togethers for our gardeners, including barbeques and/or potlucks and information sessions.
THE FUTURE Every season we have a waiting list of new gardeners, so when resources become available we have hopes of further expanding our garden onto the grass area on the north end of the garden. We would also like to add another compost bin and set up a system to make the rain water more accessible to all gardeners.
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