Lawns to Gardens
 The Lawns to Gardens demonstration project, sponsored by Locally Delicious, shows how a home garden can be actively used to produce food. The first Lawns to Gardens demonstration project was opened on April 3rd at the historic Phillips House Museum, located at 7th and Union Streets, in Arcata, during the 2010 Plan It Green “Building Green Communities” Conference on Local Self Reliance.
Many people own homes with lawns or garden space and would like to grow food but may not be physically able or have the time, and there are also people who would love to grow food but lack the land. The demonstration project was created to show people how to come together to share resources, land, labor, and fresh garden produce.
If interested in sharing your land or your labor, please send an e-mail to
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. We will try to match you with a partner. We are matching by hand now but if we have enough interest, we will try to automate the process. If you need a space to garden, you may also wish to consider a space in a community garden.
Many thanks to the many people who donated time and services to get the Lawns to Garden Project up and running. They include:
- Arcata’s Historic Sites Committee
- 2010 Plan It Green: Building Green Communities Conference 2010 on Local Self Reliance
- Helen L’Annunziata from the North Coast Community Garden Collaborative
- Steve Salzman, partner, GreenWay Partners
- Kashi Albertsen, owner, Luscious Gardens
- Greg DiBenedetto, owner, Humboldt Foodscapes
- Keith Hamm, owner Living Earth Landscapes
- The Fickle Hill Fence Company
Start You Own!
Below is a contract between the land owner and the person growing the food and some things to think about as you consider sharing.
The right garden plot has the following characteristics:
- Sunny, south-facing exposure
- Fertile soil and an area for compost
- Water available
- If fencing is in place, all the better!
This program is for you if you:
- Enjoy eating local, organic, healthy food
- Have either a suitable yard or applicable gardening skills
- Like the idea of connecting with people in your community
- Are willing to work (a little!) toward sustainable living
- Would like to reduce your carbon footprint
All you need to get started:
- Book - we suggest the Humboldt Kitchen Gardener by Eddie Tanner (as a guide specific to the North Coast bio-region; available at many bookstores in Arcata, CA)
- Stuff - a gardener, a garden area, some seeds or starts, and a few tools
- Attitude - teamwork between the lawn owner and the gardener
Sample Contract
- Reasonable work hours and times of day for gardening will be agreed upon with consideration for neighborhood activities.
- Watering: list days for gardener and for property owner to water.
- Water bill to be paid by property owner.
- Tobacco, drugs, and alcohol to be avoided in the garden area.
- Owner consent for tours or group visits to the garden.
- Consensus on organic practices and how slugs and gophers will be controlled.
- Repairs to damaged property will be paid by person causing damage.
- Mutual consent for alteration of trellises, sculptures or fence, etc.
- Anticipate and list planting times, harvest times, and approximate yields expected.
- Delineate responsibilities for putting the garden to bed at end of harvest (or include arrangements for winter gardening).
- Review and renew the contract yearly.
Garden Location:____________________
__________________________________
Signatures:
Gardner
Name _____________________________
Signature __________________________
Property Owner
Name_____________________________
Signature__________________________
These are areas to consider in the garden contract which can be as elaborate as desired or simply hand written and initialed.
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