Community Garden Magazine Issue Seven March 2016 Community Garden Magazine Issue Seven March 2016

Design your Community Garden For Success Whether you grow vegetables, flowers, or both, involve volunteers in the decision. Philip J Brittan/Getty Images A well-designed and located community garden can make any neighborhood more attractive and even boost property values. A 2008 article in Real Estate Economics found that in New York City, a 6,000-square-foot community garden added 3.4% in value to a property located next to the garden. After five years, the same garden added 7.4% to property next to the garden and 1.9% to property 1,000 feet away. Develop a design There’s no set size for a community garden, but you’ll want to match the size to the number of volunteers. A 10 x 10-foot or 20 x 20-foot plot is often the allotment size for each volunteer. Draw out the design using graph paper or an expensive landscape design software program like the HGTV Home & Landscape Platinum Suite. Then transfer the blueprint to the site using stakes and twine to lay out rows. Factor paths of about three feet between rows for workers and wheelbarrows. Paths can be as simple as mulch laid over cardboard. Add benches where volunteers can rest. If you have space, add a shed for storing tools with an overhang th B&

Community Garden Magazine Issue Seven March 2016 Community Garden Magazine Issue Seven March 2016 | Page 4