Jenna Brown –  Urban agriculture has seen a resurgence in the last few years. Seeds of change include the use of derelict city properties and empty lots to feed people nutritious whole foods.

Are there any abandoned lots or properties in your neighborhood? If so, you can transform the eyesore into a garden that is fruitful and beautiful. And if you’re hesitating because of likely expense there are ways for you to generate funds through grants and crowd-funding that will defray initial and on-going costs involved in creating and maintaining an urban garden.

Here’s what you need to know if you decide to beautify your town and help those who lack the funds to buy quality nutrition.

Choose a Lot Size

Before you start looking for properties ask yourself the following questions:

♦  Will my local town / community provide access to abandoned lots for beautification? If the answer’s yes, and they approve a site you are likely to encounter a less than ideal situation regarding safeguarding tools and machinery on location. A time saving approach to quickly identify likely storage costs is to research metal building cost per square foot and factor that into your budget.

♦  How many people are you hoping to feed with your community garden? Meaning, what is your desired crop yield?

♦  How many people are expected to work in the garden (you’ll want a space big enough that everyone is able to maneuver comfortably)?

In general, a personal use garden with no volunteers doesn’t require a huge space. You can make do with as little as 100 square feet; however, bigger is better because bigger feeds more people. Bill Maynard, a VP of a Community Gardening Association, reports that some urban gardens are as big as 25,000 square feet. “Others fall in the 2,000 to 4,000-square foot range,” reads the Houselogic article. The size of your garden is going to depend on your need, which is why you need to answer the questions above before you start shopping for a space.

You Can Buy Land for Your Garden

Mindy Schwartz, a gardener who has transformed vacant lands into urban gardens for more than ten years, was able to purchase her first property for only $650. She had a local vacant property recovery program; if you’ve one of those, that’s where you can start because that’s where you’re going to find the best prices.​​ Also, if you need certain gardening tools, visit greeneryguide.com for everything gardening at your fingertips.)

If not, bike or drive around your city to survey empty spaces. Look for spaces that will provide your plants with ample sunshine and ensure there’s a water source on site. Don’t depend on rain, as some communities ban their residents from harvesting rainwater. Try and contact the owner of the property, and remember some property owners will be willing to rent you the property which maybe can save you some money.

Speaking of money, if you’re low on the funds you need to rent or buy a community garden you can take advantage of grants and crowd-funding opportunities to fund your project. Crowdfunding sites such as Indiegogo and GoFundMe allow users to create accounts and ask for donations. Grants may be available through your local community, the USDA, and the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition.

Planting Your Veggies

When it comes to an urban garden, you don’t need to be a gardening expert (but, it certainly doesn’t hurt). You simply need the wherewithal to educate yourself on when to plant, how to plant (what foods to use, and where to place seeds), and when to harvest. Luckily for you, Shift Frequency has a nice infographic, a Vegetable Growing Cheat Sheet to take some of the guesswork out of planting vegetables.

Depending on the size of your garden, your garden can produce enough food to feed an entire neighborhood block of people. If you’re hoping to sell your produce, Houselogic reports “a 4 x 16-foot bed can yield $200 to $600 a year in produce depending on climate.” That’s a lot of green for a project that’s oh-so-green and good for the earth. ​​

Good luck and best wishes to you with your community garden.

Shift Frequency © Jenna Brown 2016 – How To Start An Urban Garden