Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
The next big challenge is water. There's no quicker way to kill a new garden (plants and community!)
than to not have a viable water source worked out. And by viable, I mean easy for gardeners to use.
Gardeners are generally willing to schlep water a bit within the garden itself, but are often not willing
(at least not willing for long) to bring water with them or transport it from an inconvenient distance.
This is very important! Don't let your enthusiasm for a garden outweigh this fundamental element. Here
are some ways to establish a water source.
Ask the neighbors.
The easiest way to get water is to ask the neighbors. Chances are, you're doing
them a favor by cleaning up an unused piece of land, so they're often happy to help by offering a water
source. It is easy to throw a hose over the fence to water a community garden, particularly if it is a small
garden. If your neighbor has metered water (water they have to pay for), offer to chip in on the bill for
the months the garden is active.
HOSES, TROUGHS, BUCKETS, AND CANS
Once you've got water into the garden, you need to think about how your gardeners will access it.
Since water is something they will use frequently, maybe every day, it is often a big topic of conversa-
tion (and sometimes contention).
In an allotment garden, it is preferable to position the water source as centrally as possible, so every-
one has easy access. If you have senior citizens or people with mobility issues, you may want to con-
sider assigning them to beds as close to the water source as possible.
You also need to work through whether or not you will have hoses available for people to use, a wa-
ter station where people can access a tap directly, whether there should be a reservoir like a horse
trough where people can fill watering cans or buckets, or, if your budget allows, whether you should in-
stall an irrigation system. Most often seen in group-production row gardens, an irrigation system can be
as simple as a series of soaker hoses or as complex as an elaborate network with timers. Most gardens
can't afford an irrigation system, so don't stress out if you can't make this work within your budget.
There are challenges with all watering systems. If you use hoses, there's a chance that a gardener,
while pulling the hose to his or her garden, may damage another person's plants. If you use a watering
station, people may not return the watering cans or buckets (if you use shared ones) and a would-be
waterer might have to go hunting for them. Another issue is making sure people turn the water off
when they're done so there are no issues with running hoses and wasted resources. Be prepared: you
will have to address situations around water throughout the season. It is important to train gardeners on
best practices based on the watering system the garden has chosen. Don't be frustrated if this is an on-
going educational issue.
Tap a hydrant.
A fire hydrant near your garden can be a godsend. Most cities have a department of wa-
ter that is either an independent entity or part of another department such as streets and sanitation. Do
a little digging to find out who's the boss when it comes to water. You will generally have to fill out an
application to tap a hydrant. Depending on the hydrant, a special connector may be provided for you, or
you may need to purchase one. This special connector will translate the fire-hose connection to a garden
hose-size connection. If you have to purchase one, they can be pricey (up to $300). There may also be
a fee to use the hydrant (to cover water costs). You'll find all this out when you talk to the person in
charge of water.
