Remember when local gardens were just for a few tomatoes? Now my neighbor's front yard feeds half the block.

I've been gardening for 15 years here in Des Moines, and I keep hearing folks say community gardens are too much work for too little payoff. But last summer our small plot on 3rd Street produced 80 pounds of squash and beans, and we gave most of it to the food pantry down the road. Has anyone else seen a similar shift in how people think about growing food in their own yards?

3 comments

3 Comments

derek_perez28d ago

That "too little payoff" idea is dead wrong, my 4 raised beds fed my family and three neighbors all last summer.

logan_ellis28d ago

Hang on, FOUR beds did all that? That's wild. I've got six raised beds and barely keep my own fridge full. What kind of sorcery are you running over there? You must be planting everything in double rows or stacking crops like a maniac. Three neighbors is generous, I couldn't spare a tomato without feeling the pinch myself.

ray_campbell4627d ago

Well I'll be, you just changed my mind on this. I've got a good sized garden myself and always figured you needed way more space to make a real dent in your grocery bill. But four beds feeding three extra families? That's impressive enough to make me rethink my whole setup this spring.