Produce That Grows Well--Despite Drought, With Help from Neighbors

Even in this drought season, some Chicago area residents grew great produce, according to a Chicago Tribune article. The heat didn't bother these products because the gardeners tending them saw to it that they didn't get too thirsty. Loving attention also helped community gardens around the country have bountiful harvests, according to a piece in the Sunday supplement Parade. These gardening stories may inspire you to plant your own garden or start something bigger with some neighbors.  Next spring, give it some thought. 

Veggies that survived the summer:

Can any crops, we wondered, survive and even flourish when it's very hot and dry?  It turns out that many can cope with heat IF there is adequate irrigation.

Gardeners in the Chicago area (where the drought was very severe this summer) reported to the Chicago Tribune that tomatoes, green beans, and basil thrived.  One gardener said that this year her tomatoes were enormous, as big as softballs.  Experts reported that squash and tomatoes, both "heat-loving produce" did just fine in the endless heat as long as they had consistent watering. According to Western Illinois University agriculture professor Joel Gruver, "For growing vegetables, it's a lot easier to deal with hot and dry than excessively wet and cloudy."

Some like it hot but never too dry. When there's no rain or just a quick sprinkle, people realize that they have to water.  Given a bit more rain, people may not want to face the fact that it's still not wet enough to meet the needs of their lawn or garden.  It's easy to use a brief shower as an excuse not to turn on the sprinklers or hose.  In drought conditions, everyone knows it's necessary to water. However, irrigating often can really run up one's water bill, a nightmare I'm familiar with just trying to keep a few flowers and some grass alive.

Community gardening--what it has to offer:

This lengthy Parade article reminded me of the World War II victory gardens that decorated the communities of my early childhood.  Today, there are more than 1,000,000 community gardens around the U.S.  Parade focuses mostly on the gardens developed in one small town--Lenoir, North Carolina--and how they helped restore community pride to a struggling town that has seen so many of its manufacturing jobs outsourced to China. 

The story of the many benefits of community gardens may be enough to make you want to bring the concept to your community.   For one thing, these gardens are often created on land that had been an eyesore, often in a poor neighborhood, and they turn the site into an attractive and useful area.  A by-product of this effort is that volunteers who work on the gardens are neighbors who start out strangers and become friends.  The projects cross age groups, ethnic groups, racial groups, and different levels of expertise.  Those that know little about how to grow food learn from those who are experienced, and everyone benefits from the student/mentor exchange.  The end product, often vegetables, provides local, just-picked, healthful food for the participants, and, if the harvest is plentiful, to anyone else who wants some fresh local produce.  In Lenoir and other communities, extra produce not taken by the growers is donated to local food banks.  

The Parade article outlines a 5-step method for getting a neighborhood community garden going:

1) "Recruit like-minded neighbors."

2) "Green up your thumbs".  Learn the ropes by volunteering at a nearby community garden, or take a workshop from state cooperative extension offices. 

3) "Draft a mission statement."  It should cover who can participate, what members are expected to do (in terms of a time commitment, etc.) and what the garden will grow (veggies? flowers?).

4) "Look for a sponsor." Find local businesses that can contribute supplies.  If that doesn't work, charge a membership fee to purchase seeds and equipment.

5) "Scout out potential sites." Consider such essentials as the amount of sunlight, proximity to water, and soil conditions.  The Parade article points out that many vegetables need at least 6 hours of full sun per day.

If you're in search of a cause to devote some of your spare time and energy to, community gardening might be a great choice.  It's not too early to start stimulating interest in your neighborhood. 

Source(s):

Parade, "Fields of Dreams," August 19, 2012.

Chicago Tribune, "Gardeners just add water," August 18, 2012.