Building the Raised Bed Garden – Part I
As a Gardener Without Garden Space – How I Created and Developed a Community Vegetable Garden
I stared down into “the pit.” No, it was not the pit of despair. I knew I was looking at the pit of possibilities.
The Pit was just there because it was a central and important part of our townhouse complex. It was, by design, the low-lying space in our town house complex, waiting to collect runoff when it rained too much. It was pretty, with grass planted on a thin layer of dirt over sand, ivy on one side, cement on two others. Trees held the slope on the west side. The Pit was an open space that everybody pretty much ignored. I sometimes took the grandkids down there to kick a ball around, and we bounced it off the cement walls. A few owners used it as a dog run. But, for the most part, it was quiet and unused.
Imagining the possibilities
I like planting a garden. I like growing vegetables. This empty space wasn’t calling out to me. It was YELLING! What would I have to do to get permission to have a garden there? It’s a townhouse complex, 45 units. Hmmm. The strata council had rules up the ying-yang. A lot of people would have something to say about anything new.
When I suggested this idea to my wife Vicki, a member of the strata council, she told me, “First, speak to the president of the council. And write a note to the council describing what you’d like to do and what you’d like to plant. It would have to look nice.” She was definite about that. It had to look nice. She knows me well! I’m a high density gardener. My gardens look like jungles at season’s end. I am what some people call a natural gardener. Vicki was surprised the first time she saw me plant some seeds. I had dug up and lightly watered a small area, sprinkled lettuce seeds, and gently raked them in. No order to speak of. Just a string around an area marked “Lettuce.”
I like sowing seeds this way. The seedlings germinate in tightly clumped random patterns. The thinned seedlings become salad; the remaining plants thrive. But Vicki was right. My presentation had to show a garden as most people imagine gardens: pretty little rows with everything nicely spaced.
Bureaucracy & Building a Raised Bed Garden
As suggested, I presented my idea to the townhouse council president. I explained that I wanted to build a raised bed along the cement wall, using garden ties. She asked, “This is all going to be for you?” This was late February 2020. COVID-19 had erupted in China and had everybody’s attention. China was locking down. The Chinese government had cancelled New Years’ celebrations, their culture’s biggest public festival. I couldn’t predict the future, but I had an idea what was coming. With that in mind, I explained, “My intention is that this is a community garden. Vicki and I will pay for it, I’ll build it and do the gardening, but my intention is to share the produce.” Not surprisingly, taking the strata council off the hook for costs and labor made the whole thing easier to consider. She said, “Draw some pictures. We need some plans.”
I figured I had the potential of 55 running feet of garden, about 18” wide. The eastern wall of the pit ran 45 feet, with another 10 feet along the north clubhouse wall. It seemed like a lot of space, but really, I knew it wasn’t. I had my favorites and looked forward to planting specific varieties of beans, chard, beets, lettuce, and zucchini. If I could figure the room, I’d grow tomatoes, some potatoes and butternut squash, too.
The plan I presented to the council mapped out a garden with everything in nice pretty rows. I knew that was hopeful, at best, but I’d try! My idea was accepted. I couldn’t wait to get started.
As a Gardener Without Garden Space – How I Created and Developed a Community Vegetable Garden