Green Options

With seasons changing yet again, starting a garden might be the last thing on a person’s mind. Not so here in Madison, Wisconsin, where a local group is pushing for more community garden spaces in the downtown area. This isn’t especially newsworthy until you hear where they’re proposing to add the garden – the top of the Madison Public Library.

Community gardens and downtown green space aren’t new ideas, but at a public presentation on Thursday night, members of Downtown Madison Community Gardens, said if their proposal is accepted, the garden would be the first rooftop community vegetable garden on a public library in the world.

Just because summer days are on their way out doesn’t mean the gardening has to end. In climates like mine on the Northern California coast, certain plants can be grown year-round. Through my experience growing organic veggies in a plot in my local community garden, I’m starting to learn the ins and outs of growing plants in my local climate. Even if your climate gets too cold for a year-round outdoor garden, you could try gardening in a greenhouse, hoophouse, under cold frames, or indoors during the colder months. I wanted to share an update on my community garden as well as a handful of things I’ve learned from my community gardening experience.

My local community garden, the Noyo Come-Unity Garden, is a very busy place in the summer. Each family plot is blooming with a variety of veggies and greens, and since each garden is different we are all able to trade with each other. Along the edge of our community garden are community beds, where we grow all kinds of veggies to feed the hungry in our area as well as flowers and beneficial herbs. We have donated pounds and pounds of fresh organic veggies to the local food bank and homeless shelter. Community gardens are a great way to help and grow your community!

Guerrilla Gardening is popular in London, where gardeners illegally, under the cover of night, cultivate plants in public spaces.  Food, flowers, and trees are planted where weeds once grew, providing the public with beauty and free food.  Technically, guerilla gardeners are participating in “criminal damage” under the law.

Via: Web Ecoist