The plot
Penacook Community Garden's plots are beautiful. There are three sections, each measuring 130 by 35 feet. One garden is rented out by the Historical Society for local gardeners' use at $30/season for a 15' x 15' area. The other two are for use by Penacook Community Center. This is where we grow the bulk of the food for the childcare programs, senior center, and food banks. Also, once a week, daycare kids visit as part of the Jump and Sprout curriculum.
Aerial view diagram
Click to enlarge
Sharing resources
The neighbors around the garden are wonderful. Steve and Sandy, to the north of the garden, have given plants, compost, worms from their vermiculture bin, leaves, advice, snacks, tea and nice conversations. Rick, to the southeast, is the director of the Historical Society. He runs the show and is available almost all the time. He sets up and takes down the water, manages the timing for watering, and mows. He used to till as well. He is also in charge of renting out the 3rd garden plot to local growers. Everyone around the garden shares the mowing. They mow our area, too.
A sense of place
The land where Penacook Community Center's garden is located is owned by the Penacook Historical Society. It is historic farm land, with a dairy across the street and many of the original farm structures of Rolfe Place.
The Society was organized in 1995 to foster appreciation for the history of the village and vicinity of Penacook, New Hampshire.
The organization was formed to:
• Preserve information, materials, and buildings
• Sponsor events that promote public understanding of local history
• Assist other historical societies to preserve materials of statewide significance
Rolfe Place, Historical Society, Penacook
The logo, designed by Eva Moss, volunteer at the garden in 2014.
2010-2012: Early Years
When the Jump and Sprout Program began, Carol St. Pierre brought summer camp kids from the Community Center to the big garden at the Historical Society every day. They prepped the beds, planted, weeded, and harvested for two summers.
The program changed directions, however, when parents of the kids were given the choice of what days to bring their kids to camp. It became difficult to reiterate parts of the curriculum to students who had been missing; and for students who were always present, the lessons became redundant.
Now Jump and Sprout focuses their lessons primarily in the gardens at the Community Center, a mile away from the big gardens. The garden at the Penacook Historical Society is run by hired gardeners who grow the bulk of the food and deliver it to the daycare programs. The kids now come to the garden once a week to help harvest, plant, taste new things, and explore.
2013-2014: Introducing Permaculture
Permaculture is a creative design process that is based on ethics and design principles. It guides us to mimic the patterns and relationships we can find in nature and can be applied to all aspects of human habitation, from agriculture to ecological building, from appropriate technology to education and even economics. --from David Holmgren, co-creator of the design science
To read more about Permaculture (the Ethics and Principles), click here.
Tools and Techniques: a summary
In the Gardens at the Historical Society, we use techniques derived from Permaculture for growing annual vegetables, fruits, and herbs, as well as a few perennials.
This is a no-till garden. We let nature be our pest fighter with the use of flowers. We sheetmulch in the fall to close down the beds. We use guilds and companion plantingtechniques to optimize solar exposure, moisture, microbial activity, etc. We plant ground covers to protect the soil from the sun. We plant perennials to minimize our impact on the garden and to slowly establish permanent agriculture. We create beautiful and healthful environments for everyone who interacts with the garden and its fruits.
2013: A summary
- Status of garden upon arrival: tilled, no growth
- Infrastructure: canvas tent and table
- Number of workers: 2 people at 15 hrs/week (one paid $16/hr, the other $9)
- Overall weight: 1300 lbs
- Harvesting method: random baskets, buckets, and bags; sorted by us and washed by another volunteer at PCC
- Mulching method: seeded hay, bought on Craigslist for $1/bale, delivered; cardboard
- Seeds: Harris Seed Co., purchased by PCC, chemical coatings of pesticide, fungicide, herbicide, and fertilizer
- Transplants: donated by the Vegetable Ranch and friends
- Fertilizer: Pro-Gro, chicken manure, kelp meal
- Kids' involvement: few days for planting in June
- Winterizing: sheetmulching (very little); oats; straw
2014: A summary
- Status of garden upon arrival: previously established raised beds still in tact
- Infrastructure: canvas tent and table, new fencing enclosure
- Number of workers: 3 people at 15 hrs/week (one paid $16/hr, the others $9), plus four frequent volunteers
- Overall weight: 1,633 lbs
- Harvesting method: Coca Cola trays, washed onsite with hose, delivered to PCC and sorted by teachers
- Mulching method: some mulch hay, bought on Craigslist for $2/bale not delivered; cardboard; grass clippings; radishes
- Seeds: Burpee, discovered in dumpster; Merrimack Valley Middle school greenhouse; Walmart donations
- Transplants: donated by the Suroweic and started at my house
- Fertilizer: Pro-Gro, chicken manure, goat manure
- Kids' involvement: once per week
- Winterizing: sheetmulching; oats; straw; leaves; grass clippings; comfrey cuts