GardenDC Podcast Episode 249: Community Gardening

In this episode of GardenDC: The Podcast about Mid-Atlantic Gardening, we talk with Michelle Nelson, Montgomery Park's Community Garden Program Manager all about community gardens. The plant profile is an update on our previous one on Lavender and we share what's going on in the garden as well as some upcoming local gardening events in the What's New segment. We close out with the Last Word on Corn in Small Spaces by Christy Page of GreenPrints.

If you liked this episode, you may also enjoy listening to:

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 129: Sharing the Harvest

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2022/11/gardendc-podcast-episode-129-sharing.html

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 202: Documenting Gardens

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2024/07/gardendc-podcast-episode-202.html

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 198: Rats and Othetr Destructive Critters

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2024/06/gardendc-podcast-episode-198-rats-and.html

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This episode is archived at: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1cWyZhU95ae5wEuCFDWtW2?si=r4y4_byvRVqLTaQcF_mCxA

Show Notes will be posted after 7-29-2025.

Michelle Nelson's profile in the September 2024 issue of Washington Gardener Magazine.

Montgomery Park's community gardens conditions of use are posted here.

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Episode Credits:
Host and Producer: Kathy Jentz

Interview Edit & Show Notes: Miguel Zarate

Music: Let the Sunshine by James Mulvany

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Fenton Friday: Veterans and Newbies Meet

This past weekend we had an all-gardener meeting to kick off the growing season at our community garden. Everyone introduced themselves and the riles of the garden were reviewed. I think for those outside the garden and the newbies, the rules seem lengthy and onerous -- in fact, they are there to head off potential problems like someone's giant trellis overshadowing a neighbor's plot or the cistern not getting refilled potentially leaving our poor seedlings parched on a hot, sunny day.

I shared some seeds leftover from our recent Seed Exchanges and enjoyed meeting the new gardeners and connecting names to some of the returning folks I hadn't met yet. I hop everyone has a beautiful and bountiful growing year!

In our plot, I harvested a handful of broccoli that I added to a pot of mac-and-cheese. It has been so rainy and windy and super-busy!) that I didn't get any additional seeds in the ground yet. My plan is for us to plant radish, lettuce, and seed potatoes this coming week.

Are you back in your edible garden yet? If so, what are you growing?

About Fenton Friday: Every Friday during the growing season, I'll be giving you an update on my community garden plot at the Fenton Street Community Garden just across the street from my house in zone 7 Mid-Atlantic MD/DC border. I'm plot #16. It is a 10 ft x 20 ft space and this is our 12th year in the garden. (It opened in May 2011.) See past posts about our edible garden by putting "Fenton" into the Search box above (at the top, left on this blog).

Community Gardens of the DMV: The Garden at UMBC

By Johnny Moseman

Sitting within the University of Maryland's Baltimore County campus, right next to the police station, is the school’s very own community garden. Started in 2014 by some faculty and students at the university, The garden gives students, or anyone who wishes to grow their own plants, access to raised beds with fertile soil to grow in.

The garden was sparked by students who saw the land on campus and thought they could use the space to make a difference and grow some food.

They started creating "The Garden" over a two year period by developing a proposal and gaining the approval and support needed. In Spring of 2014, the student body voted on the SGA Prove-It grant funding for a campus improvement project -- 70 percent voted for a community garden on campus. The raised beds were then built by student volunteers, along with a broad network of staff, faculty advisers, and mentors.

“The Garden is a social action and service organization dedicated to helping reimagine the role of higher education in addressing problems of the world through the creation and engagement of our food garden that enables creativity in research, applied learning, campus-community partnerships, social equity, diversity, and food sovereignty,” according to their Facebook page.

Along with raised beds on the site, there is a shed with basic tools for use by anyone within the garden.

The garden is run by a student group, Sustainability Matters, and has support and oversight from a bunch of different organizations on campus from Facilities Management to Student Life.

This community garden is managed and plots are allocated by this student group to other campus groups. The garden also provides an orientation for these groups to learn how to grow in their section of the raised beds.

The groups can then choose what to grow and do with the food they grow in their plot. The garden also provides a shared compost pile, fun events, and regular community work days.

Photos courtesy of the garden’s Instagram account: @umbc_thegarden.

About the Author: Johnny Moseman is a senior multi-platform journalism major at the University of Maryland from Columbia, MD. He is an editorial intern at Washington Gardener this spring semester.

The Community Gardens of the DMV blog series is profiling community gardens across the DC-MD-VA region. If you have a community garden you would like profiled, please leave a comment below and let us know how to reach you.

Fenton Friday: Lettuce Eat

This week the lettuces are taking off. They are almost full-size and I think ready for cutting and making a few big salads. The wire cage did its job, there were no rabbit incursions. However, something is nibbling at one of the lettuce mixes. Maybe slugs? I'll try sprinkling a bit of Sluggo around it after the storm system passes through the area today.

The pea plants are also putting on some growth, but no flowers yet.

I harvested a BIG batch of asparagus.

I never got time to weed or plant the radishes and carrots. Maybe can get to that on Easter Monday. Then next on the to-do list will be sowing a cutting garden.

What is growing in your edible garden this week?

About Fenton Friday: Every Friday during the growing season, I'll be giving you an update on my community garden plot at the FentonStreet Community Garden just across the street from my house. I'm plot #16. It is a 10 ft x 20 ft space and this is our 7th year in the garden. (It opened in May 2011.) See past posts about our edible garden by putting "Fenton" into the Search box above.

Community Gardens of the DMV: Common Good City Farm

By Johnny Moseman

Sitting on V Street between 2nd and 4th Street in NW Washington, DC, is a community garden like no other. Established in 2007, Shaw EcoVillage gave permission to Common Good City Farm to direct garden programs at the 7th Street site, which they named the “7th Street Garden.”

This garden stood from 2007 to 2009 and after their work for two years expanding programs to feed more people, educate DC residents, and contribute to the sustainability of the organization, they were invited to their new location in LeDroit Park in 2008.

Now, over 10 years of farming on almost half an acre in the middle of DC, Common Good City Farm can feed more people through their farm market, engage more students in their Seed to Table Workshops and Youth programs, and serve more community members at their events.

The goal of Common Good City Farm is to “create a vibrant, informed, and well-nourished community through urban farming while also actively engaging with all members of a diverse community and create opportunities for connections on our farm, while emphasizing intensive vegetable production and modeling best practices in sustainable urban agriculture,” according to their website.

“Our goal is to feed people and bring them together while also helping teach them about healthy environmental practices,” Executive Director of Common Good City Farm, Sam Wetzel said.

Since January 2007, this garden has provided over 10 tons of fresh produce to the community, engaged over 2,700 adults and 4,500 young people in educational programs, and hosted over 3,000 volunteers.

Common Good City Farm offers a plethora of free community events that help provide hands-on training in food production, healthy eating, and environmental sustainability. They also hold an after-school activity for students to help teach them healthy eating as well as cooking skills. All upcoming events can be found on their website (www.commongoodcityfarm.org).

“We just want to get better at what we do,” Wetzel said. “We are very hyper-local and focused on helping the neighborhood. We just want to stay connected with people and also spend time with our hands in the dirt.”

There are no current plans for expansion, Wetzel said, citing that the nature of expansion creates a disconnect between the community and they want to stay as connected with the community that they help each year.

To get involved, Wetzel said to come to some events and check out the garden, talk to people and see what they like. There are also two open community work days coming up where people can come and volunteer if they want to start helping out.

Come join them on Saturday, April 20, 2019, at 10am for their Spring Kick-Off Event.

About the Author: Johnny Moseman is a senior multi-platform journalism major at the University of Maryland from Columbia, MD. He is an editorial intern at Washington Gardener this spring semester.

The Community Gardens of the DMV blog series is profiling community gardens across the DC-MD-VA region. If you have a community garden you would like profiled, please leave a comment below and let us know how to reach you.

Community Gardens of the DMV: Columbia Gardeners

By Johnny Moseman

Ever since the 1960s, Columbia, MD, has had their own set of community gardens that foster and inspire leadership, committed memberships, and thousands of hours of hard work.

Starting in 1968, Columbia activist Evelyn Haynes persuaded Columbia developer James Rouse to donate land for for community gardening. Initially, 30 people gardened on land that is now the Columbia Mall.

In 1974, word had spread and soon 1,000 families rented garden plots to use. This was when the term "Columbia Gardeners" (CG) was coined and they began to campaign to keep the plots permanently.

Howard County’s first permanent garden came in 1977 at the Elkhorn Branch Community Garden on Oakland Mills Road. Two more permanent gardens were added in 1988; one in Long Reach and the other on Martin Road. Both of these sites added raised beds for physically-challenged gardeners.

In 2010, 100 plots were added to these gardens through cooperation with the Howard County Department of Recreation and Parks.

Today, there are over 600 plots across the three garden sites.

Gardeners within CG have a very diverse background and range from novice gardeners to expert gardeners, representing countries all over the world as well as those from cities to those that grew up on farms.

Each site offers garden plots that are approximately 20 by 25 feet, access to these plots by common pathways, centrally located water supplies, common compost bins, wood chips, parking, a locking entrance gate, and picnic tables.

 

Gardeners are then responsible for any work that needs to be done on their individual plot and they can grow whatever fruits, vegetables, or flowers they please in those plots.

CG’s mission is to provide safe and affordable garden space to community residents, be a knowledge-sharing resource for healthy, sustainable gardening practices, partner with other groups and communities to enhance gardening opportunities.

They hold a variety of social and educational events from April through October, including talks by Master Gardeners, talks by regional gardening experts, seed exchanges, garden work days, bird walks, butterfly walks, plant diagnostic workshops, garden tours, and picnics.

All information regarding Columbia Gardeners or future events they are holding can be found at columbiagardeners.com or their Facebook page.

About the Author: Johnny Moseman is a senior multi-platform journalism major at the University of Maryland from Columbia, MD. He is an editorial intern at Washington Gardener this spring semester.

Photo Source: Columbia Gardeners

The Community Gardens of the DMV blog series is profiling community gardens across the DC-MD-VA region. If you have a community garden you would like profiled, please leave a comment below and let us know how to reach you.

Community Gardens of the DMV: Glebe Community Garden

By Johnny Moseman

Since 1974, at the corner of S. Glebe and S. Lang St. in Arlington, VA, there has been a community garden standing where houses, stores, and a church used to stand before they were torn down by constant flooding in from Four Mile Run.

After all of the flooding, the county realized this was not a safe place for buildings, so they tore down the houses, converted some of the land into park space, reserved some for future water treatment facilities, and the rest was given to county residents for a community garden.

The members of the neighborhood immediately called for a meeting, elected officials, drew up bylaws, and split the land up into 25 garden plots.

By 1980, the flooding had stopped due to the Army Corps of Engineers widening Four Mile Run. By 2000, there were 30 plots in the garden and the county purchased land adjacent to the garden for more space.

With this growth of land and subsequent reduction in size of other individual plots, the number of plots rose to 60.

In 2008, the garden purchased two large sheds, two large picnic tables, and a charcoal grill on a concrete foundation. The garden has everything they need at the moment, but they are always looking for funding and people to help keep their garden clean.

“We have all the resources we need from gathering them over the years,” Assistant Chief Gardener Joy Bickelhaupt said.

Last year, the garden expanded even more when they purchased a neighboring property. This expansion added about 30 new plots, but with all the property around the garden being claimed now, it looks as if they have expanded enough.

Right now, residents of the neighborhood occupy 103 plots in the garden and they can grow whatever vegetable or plant they want, as long as they follow all the bylaws provided by the officers of the garden.

The only restriction of this garden is no fruit trees, but members are growing every kind of vegetable you can imagine along with blueberries, strawberries, and grape vines.

Bickelhaupt has been a member since 2015 and what she loves most about the garden is its therapeutic value.

“It is very relaxing to sit under the sun,” Bickelhaupt said. “It’s a community. We all share ideas, seeds and produce. We talk and have group beautifying sessions and potlucks. Everyone is so friendly and we all support each other.”

For more details about the garden, see: https://glebegardenclub.wordpress.com/.

About the Author: Johnny Moseman is a senior multi-platform journalism major at the University of Maryland from Columbia, MD. He is an editorial intern at Washington Gardener this spring semester.

Photo Source: Glebe Community Garden

The Community Gardens of the DMV blog series is profiling community gardens across the DC-MD-VA region. If you have a community garden you would like profiled, please leave a comment below and let us know how to reach you.

Community Gardens of the DMV: UMD Community Learning Garden

By Johnny Moseman

At the University of Maryland campus in College Park, MD, the School of Public Health set up a public community garden to encourage people to see green spaces in new ways and use them to their fullest capacities.

This garden, located outside of Eppley Recreation Center and the School of Public Health, was started in 2010 as a graduate student project, but has since become a joint venture between undergraduates, graduates, faculty, and staff.

The goal of this garden is to put into the importance of environmental stewardship, agricultural sustainability, physical activity, balanced diets, and environmental exposures into practice as well as serving as a living classroom where faculty, staff, and students can engage in experiential education on issues directly related to agriculture, community health, public health, and environmental health, according to it Facebook page.

“We wanted to create a place where students and faculty could learn about sustainable gardening and the importance of healthy eating as well as letting members take home what they help grow,” Community Garden Director Rudy Dessiatoun said.

Since 2015, plots in the garden have been available for rent and in these plots you can grow your own food or flowers with the support of Public Health Garden members.

Along with community plots, the Institute of Applied Agriculture has five raised beds that grow a variety of vegetables, fruits, and flowers throughout the year that they use to teach visitors about growing.

They also have a pollinator meadow located next to the garden started in 2014, which is an area that ensures that butterflies and bees can continue helping their plants grow.

A project they are working on right now is replacing the ornamental crabapples in front of Eppley Recreation Center with a variety of fruit and nut trees.

In the community garden, members grow all kinds of vegetables as well as flowers and herbs. They also have several apple trees and fig trees.

They have a rainwater filtering system that allows them to collect any rainwater and store it and use in their garden during periods of little rain.

To get involved with this garden, all you have to do is contact the team and you can assist planting, pruning, weeding, planning, watering, or harvesting. Members can also take home anything they help harvest that day. Any food that is not taken by volunteers is donated to the campus food pantry.

“We are always interested in getting more people involved,” Dessiatoun said. “We have lots of volunteer groups that come and help us but we are always looking to increase our outreach.”

About the Author: Johnny Moseman is a senior multi-platform journalism major at the University of Maryland from Columbia, MD. He is an editorial intern at Washington Gardener this spring semester.

Photo Source: UMD Community Learning Garden Instagram account.

The Community Gardens of the DMV blog series is profiling community gardens across the DC-MD-VA region. If you have a community garden you would like profiled, please leave a comment below and let us know how to reach you.

Fenton Friday: Beet Babies

It has been another scorcher of a week with scant rain, so I have been over almost daily to water the community garden plot. The tomatoes and cucumbers are still producing well and I even harvested a handful of green beans!

The mystery is the Mexican Gherkin aka Mouse Melon aka Cucamelon. The vines are growing rapidly and it sets many flowers, but I have yet to find any fruits on it. Very strange.

The beets we planted last week are up. The tiny seedlings have a red stem and that helps to differentiate them from other seedlings that are popping up, such as the arugula that I had previously planted in that same spot and let go to seed. We also added a row of Swiss Chard to compare those with the beet greens.

I hope that this weekend's promised rains and lower temps allow me to get over to the plot to rip out the orange cosmos that is running rampant throughout the rest of the plot. It is not even the pretty cosmos, it seems to have reverted to some weedy distant cousin with tiny yellow flowers and needle-like seeds that snag on your clothing. Once gone, I'll replace them with winter root crops and salad greens.

What is growing in your edible garden this week?

About Fenton Friday: Every Friday during the growing season, I'll be giving you an update on my community garden plot at the Fenton Street Community Garden just across the street from my house. I'm plot #16. It is a 10 ft x 20 ft space and this is our 7th year in the garden. (It opened in May 2011.) See past posts about our edible garden by putting "Fenton" into the Search box above

Fenton Friday: Drying Out?

Another 5+ inches of rain this week. Again, I am NOT complaining - just reporting. Anything that saves me from having to water daily in the oppressive summer heat is a blessing.

This weekend looks to be a break in the rains and maybe after a few days of drying things out I can finally get back to planting, weeding, and general clean-up. The wood chip paths have long slid downhill to neighboring plots and the weeds are growing like crazy.

A pretty strawflower plant has popped up (pictured at left). I have never plated any of that kind. It is a nice surprise and a sweet substitute for all my zinnias that the damn rabbits keep eating.

The 'Fish' Peppers and other hot peppers are still in their original 2" pots! I would feel guilty but they are all seemingly doing well. I think it is because they are still in the pots and are sitting in a tray off the ground, which is giving them some nice drainage whereas if they were planted in the soil, they would like have rotted by now.

How is your vegetable garden growing this week?

About Fenton Friday: Every Friday during the growing season, I'll be giving you an update on my community garden plot at the Fenton Street Community Garden just across the street from my house. I'm plot #16. It is a 10 ft x 20 ft space and this is our 7th year in the garden. (It opened in May 2011.) See past posts about our edible garden by putting "Fenton" into the Search box above

Fenton Friday: Still Frost-Free

We had another frost/freeze scare this week and someone still came out unscathed. I check the basil and last few pepper plants and they show no signs of slowing down. That may change very soon and this may be one of the last Fenton Friday posts for the year.

In the plot, the 'Cherry Bell' radish seeds are up and the broccoli and turnips are chugging along.  The plot to the right of mine (#17) was weed-whacked down to the ground again, which was too bad as there was some slowly swiss chard and other things still going strong, despite the absentee plot owner.

The interns and I also stopped by the Ft. Totten community garden run by the Neighborhood Farm Initiative. Photos from our visit are at left here. It is a really nice set-up on National Park Service land right near the Ft. Totten metro.

One precocious young man showed us all around the garden and gave us all hot pink zinnia flowers. He definitely has the gift of gab and made a terrific tour guide and spokesperson for the garden.

The plots are very large -- 25x25. There is a shared tool shed with gas-powered wood chipper and tillers. One plot had an elaborate low-tunnel system set-up. They have a trench compost section (along with regular compost bins) and also running water with drip irrigation to most plots. I am so envious of that last feature!

One thing I definitely did not envy is the tremendous deer pressure this garden experiences. They have a tall deer fence, but the deer still manage to get in occasionally. When I left the garden to walk to the metro, a herd of 12 deer surrounded me and came within a few feet of me and other commuters using the busy path. The next morning I found out one of those deer was killed on the nearby train tracks and caused a major delay during the morning rush hour on the Red line.I hope that the park service acts fast to contain this herd before many more incidents like this happen.

How is your edible garden growing this week?

About Fenton Friday: 

Every Friday during the growing season, I'll be giving you an update on my community garden plot at the Fenton Street Community Garden just across the street from my house. I'm plot #16. It is a 10 ft x 20 ft space and this is our 6th year in the garden. (It opened in May 2011.)

Fenton Friday: Potato Surprise

We had a frost scare earlier this week, but we made it through unscathed. A good thing too, as I was so busy getting the October issue of Washington Gardener Magazine out that I took no precautions. Zero. Zilch. At that point, I didn't care what lived or died. I was ready to sack the whole plot and start all over, if need be. Have you ever gotten to that point in the season?

Well, I got over it. Because the weather actually warmed up, I went out and put a row cover on the Broccoli seedlings and I cut down all the Cotton plants and harvested the heads to make into a wreath. (I'll share the wreath results once I finish it.) I then planted 16 cloves off Garlic.

With the interns, we pulled out the last of the 'Roxanne' and 'French Breakfast' Radishes and put in seeds for 'Cherry Belle' in their place.

While I was digging the spot for the Garlic, I turned up one Potato (pictured here). That was a surprise as I did not plant any this year, but I had in previous years. Potatoes are the plant that just keeps on giving -- no matter how deep I dig and how well we think we sift the soil, you always miss something. In this case, it is a welcome discovery. One small potato won't make much of a meal, but I can add it in with something else and happily eat it knowing there is likely more next year where this one came from... 

How is your edible garden growing this week?