On Sun, 15 Mar 2009 19:40:52 GMT, "brooklyn1"
> wrote:

>
>"modom (palindrome guy)" > wrote in message
.. .
>> On Sun, 15 Mar 2009 13:59:28 GMT, "brooklyn1"
>> > wrote:
>>
>> We know what we're doing. Besides a professor of ag science and the
>> director of the county extension service, members of our group include
>> retired farmers, a certified master gardener, and an expert in drip
>> irrigation systems.
>>
>>>So what is the purpose of this venture, what crops are planned?
>>>
>> Mission: Our mission is to support community gardening by building
>> community participation, civic pride, and awareness of benefits to the
>> environment and individual health. We will provide opportunities to
>> learn about food production, generate produce for individual
>> participants and the impoverished, and demonstrate sustainable land
>> stewardship.
>>
>> Individual members of the community will lease plots and grow what
>> they want in them with the advice of the master gardener and the
>> county extension service.
>>
>> An established local group called Cereal Crops Research, Inc. will
>> plant and maintain larger plots of corn, beans, peas, edamame, etc.
>>
>> A workshop on composting and selecting tomato varieties appropriate to
>> our soil and climate is scheduled in the coming weeks. Discussion is
>> underway regarding cooking and preserving classes in the large kitchen
>> of a nearby church. Other events may happen as the project develops.
>
>This sounds like a huge undertaking. What will be the rent for each of your
>48 sq ft plots? How much land is involved in total, and who owns it or is
>it donated? Are there plans to add more raised beds? Good luck.
>

We've leased the land from a church for a buck a year. Total land is
ca. 7 acres, but not all that is slated for cultivation this year. The
county commissioner involved says he wants to bulldoze a pond on part
of the lease next year so we can wean ourselves from city water for
irrigation.

Incidentally, that lease was somewhat problematic. We had to get a
local lawyer to donate some time to us to make the lease specific to
the project. We're using government equipment for some of the heavy
work and don't want any complaints about improving church property
with it. Separation of church and state, you know.

The guys who tilled the land and incorporated the soil amendments
actually prepared about 1/3 more soil than we'll need this year. (BTW,
man is that good dirt now!) So we have room to expand going forward.

Cost of a plot is $30 a year. We have a mild enough climate that you
can grow greens, lettuce, arugula, cilantro and some other herbs even
in winter so you can raise edibles most of the year.

Dallas has a very successful community garden association that has
been part of our inspiration. Here's their Web site:
http://www.gardendallas.org/
--

modom