Hello Garden Fans!  I want to tell you a little bit about The Cullowhee Community Garden and how it is going to work. We are still in the planning phase for exactly where the gardens will be on site, and when we will be able to start the first round of plot adoptions. So, to tide you all over until that time comes (mid August? Hopefully. By October? At the latest!) here is some information on the garden and how this will all work.

The Cullowhee Community Garden will be managed using organic cultural methods. There will be NO synthetic fertilizers, herbicides, fungicides, insecticides, or any other -cides (The English suffix comes from the Latin verb 'caedere', which means to 'cut or strike down'. In English, the suffix is used in the sense of murder). Instead we will work with natural systems to try to establish an equilibrium in the garden. 

The first step to a healthy garden is healthy soil.  Compost will be made on site by gardeners and by me, the garden manager. This is the best food for the soil, providing the raw materials for creating soil, and infusing the soil with the microorganisms, like bacteria and fungi, and attracting macroorganisms, like earthworms. Compost can be added to the top of garden soil that will act as a mulch helping to reduce water loss, and to keep the soil cool. Compost can also be worked into the soil during bed construction or through tilling. Compost feeds the soil, increasing water and nutrient retention, helping with drainage, and can fix problem soils. We will be making actively aerated compost teas for soil drenching and foliar feeding. Compost tea is an amazing product, and very easy to make. Learn About Actively Aerated Compost Tea Here 

We will also provide other organic amendments for soil, including composted animal manures, leaves and grass clippings, purchased organic fertilizers like fish and kelp emulsions and other purchased products. Instruction on the best use of these fertilizers will be provided to gardeners, including when and how to feed different crops, foliar feeding, etc.

All tools and equipment will be provided for gardeners and stored onsite in a tool shed. Gardeners will have access to, and instruction about the use of all the tools. All tools purchased will be of the highest quality and construction. This is one area we will not skimp on. It is better to buy a more expensive and well-made tool once, than to buy cheap tools that break and are frustrating to use.

Adoption of plots will require NO Money on the part of the gardeners. Using the model of The Sylva Community Garden, all gardeners will agree to donate half of their produce to The Community Table of Sylva to help feed our neighbors in need. In exchange for the produce donations, gardeners will be provided garden tools and equipment, organic fertilizers and mulches, and help and assistance from me, the garden manager.  We will also be offering educational workshops and demonstrations from area gardening experts, from the NC Cooperative Extension, and by the garden manager.

Individual gardens will be managed using organic cultural methods. Outside of this, each garden will be run by the gardener-member who adopts the plot. The specific methods of what is grown and how it is organically managed will be up to each gardener. As the garden develops, the individual style and expression of each gardener will be evident in their plots.

There will be common areas that will be maintained by members of the garden and by community volunteers. This will include the paths among the plots, flower gardens, trails, fruit trees and bushes and other perennial food crop areas (like asparagus, rhubarb, and others.) Weekly volunteer days will be advertised to bring in helpers and interested groups.

One of the goals of the Cullowhee Community Garden will be to make the gardens bountiful, beautiful and successful, and to help gardeners achieve their goals and to become better gardeners.  What we want is to make it as fun and easy to grow beautiful, nutritious and delicious food as possible. And, to do it in a way that benefits the environment and leaves the soil healthier than when we start.