Community Gardens Greenhouse - Lowell, MA
Plant a Row for the Hungry
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The Community Gardens Greenhouse will dedicate space at the Aiken Street property for the
garden and provide the seeds to begin the garden. Compost can be obtained at the
greenhouse. A water source is available at the greenhouse site. Mulching will be dependant
upon garden design and size. A sign will be created to identify the garden until enough funds
are raised to order the standard PAR marker.
The garden will be a raised bed, or a series of raised beds. Each bed will be no more than 4
feet wide so plants be be accessed without stepping into the beds. The length of each bed
may vary based on available space. There should be at least 3-4 feet between each bed for
wheelbarrow access. The soil may be tilled with the Mantis tiller/cultivator received from the
National Gardening Association & Mantis grant, or lasagna gardening may be employed. In
some parts of the greenhouse property, topsoil was layered over tar, so it may not be
possible to till.
Lasagna gardening is the building of a raised bed by first laying newspaper or cardboard on
top of the grass, then soaking the medium with water. Layers of leaves, grass clipping, leaf
humus, peat, compost, manure, or mulch are added in layers, raising the bed up to about six
inches, eventually, the newspaper or cardboard dissolves.
The intention is to grow plants close together to encourage deep roots, discourage weeds,
and use the leaves of complementary plants as natural mulch. Other mulching options may
be to use untreated grass clippings, Econo mulch, or cocoa shells.
Companion planting methods will be employed to plant the bed. Companion planting can
be described as two or more plant species growing in close proximity so that some cultural
benefit (pest control, higher yield, etc.) is derived. Cock-a-doodle-doo or composted manure
may be used to supplement those plants which are heavy feeders.
garden and provide the seeds to begin the garden. Compost can be obtained at the
greenhouse. A water source is available at the greenhouse site. Mulching will be dependant
upon garden design and size. A sign will be created to identify the garden until enough funds
are raised to order the standard PAR marker.
The garden will be a raised bed, or a series of raised beds. Each bed will be no more than 4
feet wide so plants be be accessed without stepping into the beds. The length of each bed
may vary based on available space. There should be at least 3-4 feet between each bed for
wheelbarrow access. The soil may be tilled with the Mantis tiller/cultivator received from the
National Gardening Association & Mantis grant, or lasagna gardening may be employed. In
some parts of the greenhouse property, topsoil was layered over tar, so it may not be
possible to till.
Lasagna gardening is the building of a raised bed by first laying newspaper or cardboard on
top of the grass, then soaking the medium with water. Layers of leaves, grass clipping, leaf
humus, peat, compost, manure, or mulch are added in layers, raising the bed up to about six
inches, eventually, the newspaper or cardboard dissolves.
The intention is to grow plants close together to encourage deep roots, discourage weeds,
and use the leaves of complementary plants as natural mulch. Other mulching options may
be to use untreated grass clippings, Econo mulch, or cocoa shells.
Companion planting methods will be employed to plant the bed. Companion planting can
be described as two or more plant species growing in close proximity so that some cultural
benefit (pest control, higher yield, etc.) is derived. Cock-a-doodle-doo or composted manure
may be used to supplement those plants which are heavy feeders.
| Growing communities from the ground up! |
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| The Community Garden |
| A grassroots, people-helping-people campaign open to anyone of any age. |
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Econo mulch is ground up tree, plant, root matter, which is cheaper than the higher
grade bark mulch of cedar, pine, hemlock. It also degrades much faster. This will
not be used if recycled treated wood is part of the Econo mulch.
roasting process. They smell like chocolate, are much lighter than bark mulch, and
eventually break down over the season conditioning the soil. They are usually
watered down, to prevent being wind-blown after application because they are
light-weight. Buckwheat hulls are another option, but are more costly and harder
to find than cocoa shells.
grade bark mulch of cedar, pine, hemlock. It also degrades much faster. This will
not be used if recycled treated wood is part of the Econo mulch.
roasting process. They smell like chocolate, are much lighter than bark mulch, and
eventually break down over the season conditioning the soil. They are usually
watered down, to prevent being wind-blown after application because they are
light-weight. Buckwheat hulls are another option, but are more costly and harder
to find than cocoa shells.