Community Gardens of Chester County

How We Garden 

Community Gardens of Chester County works with low-income residents to build, maintain and harvest their own gardens as well as clean up and beautify their neighborhoods with plants. We provide garden design, planting instructions, and initial garden supplies. And although our staff and volunteers work alongside the neighbors as they build their gardens, the neighbors themselves determine when, where, and how the gardens develop.

In all of our garden projects we encourage:

Raised-bed gardening for maximum utilization of space, ease of maintenance, and to avoid contact with soils that may contain toxins or chemical waste; we plant intensively in blocks rather than rows and practice intercropping and succession planting

Three seasons of gardening planting crops in the spring, summer and fall

Chemical-free gardening using the safest possible horticultural practices to keep our gardens pest- and disease-free

Composting to recycle plant waste into a free source of nutrient-rich soil

Recycling used and abandoned materials from the neighborhood to create inexpensive gardens and garden structures

 

Types of Garden Projects

Community vegetable gardens - created by neighbors working together to grow vegetables, small fruits, flowers, shrubs and trees on vacant land in their neighborhood; these gardens may fill an entire city block or only a small corner of a lot; the number of gardeners in each garden varies as well

Greening projects - created by neighbors working together to beautify their neighborhood with trees, shrubs or flowers in window boxes, tire urns, whiskey barrels or garden beds

Youth gardens - projects involving youth, including community vegetable gardens, neighborhood greening projects, school gardens, etc.; parents, teachers and/or community volunteers are needed to facilitate these garden projects

Kitchen gardens - created by individuals working together to help each other build small vegetable gardens outside their backdoors; most of the gardeners are women who are socially and/or geographically isolated in our community

 

Garden Associations

Each garden is encouraged to form a garden association to keep the garden running smoothly. It helps to develop some rules for the garden and to elect a garden leader who can communicate with the group and the staff of Community Gardens. The program provides initial tools, soil, fencing, plants and seeds, but in subsequent years the gardeners are responsible for these items. For this reason some gardens collect annual dues from each gardener to help pay for water bills, tools, garden supplies, or other costs that may arise as the garden grows.

 

Create Your Own Garden Project

All of our garden projects start within a neighborhood and are a response to community needs and dreams. Each garden is unique in size, shape and purpose, but always a reflection of the neighbors who create it. If you or your neighborhood would like our support in creating your own garden project, please contact us at 484-888-1669 to discuss your ideas. We look forward to hearing from you!

 

Join a Community Garden

If you are interested in tending a plot at one of the large, established community gardens in Downingtown, Kennett Square, or West Chester please contact us at 484-888-1669 for more information.