Community Garden Listings

We have two new features on the Washington Gardener Magazine web site for you to explore. The first is our Community Gardens listing page. It was based on the DC listing formerly hosted at the DC Urban Gardeners web site and we've added on some new DC information plus expanded it to include Maryland and Virginia community gardens. So far, no listings have been submitted for Delaware, West Virginia, or Pennsylvania -- though I hope to be able to do some online searching for some of them soon to get the ball rolling.

I also just added a "how to start" section to the page as I've always gotten this questions, but lately they have grown exponentially. I've been directing most everyone to attend next year's RootingDC forum as the best way to get started. Of course, they all just missed this year's forum and that is too bad as it is the place to network and learn the basics on setting up a local community garden. I can see that this answer is frustrating to many as they want to start their community garden and get all the information NOW. So when I helpfully inform them they missed the window this year and next year another forum is planned, I usually get a ticked-off look and then they turn around on their heels and walk away without another word. No thank you. No further conversation. Nothing. As if I had personally and purposefully conspired to create an event and time-line that excluded only them. This has happened so many times to me now that I cringe when someone starts to ask the "how to start a community garden" question because I know exactly where this conversation is headed. Now, I'll just point them to the links on the listing page and let them come to their own conclusions about what a great event they just missed and that next year they may want to start thinking about planning their ambitious garden projects before the actual growing season begins and not afterwards.