Fresh Vegetable Gardens and Apartment Living

1. Check Out Local Community Gardens. 

If you are located near Manchester, NH there are great community gardens you should visit…

• Stark Farm Community Garden. 

  Located in the heart of Manchester, NH on the meadows of the Historic Stark Park.  Gardeners sign up to participate in a farm-style collaborative garden for the whole growing season and share in the harvest.  Kids, families, and novice gardeners are encouraged!  A nominal fee $20/family covers the cost of seeds and supplies.  Email pchivers@gmail.com for more information.

• Parkside Community Garden

The purpose of the Parkside Community Garden is to create a safe, fun, and healthy community garden space in a food desert.  This garden will allow residents and community members to access healthy and            affordable, freshly grown food. The main focus of this group in 2018, is to create a Community Garden space at a city owned field next to Parkside Middle School on the West Side of Manchester, NH. The West            Side of Manchester, NH does not have a grocery store or supermarket within walking distance. This garden space will allow access to healthy food, as well as create a partnership with the elementary and middle          school the field is located next to. Students will learn to grow and cook fruit and vegetables, and share with their families.

• Hillsborough County Community Garden  40 Pine St, Manchester, NH

  This garden location has a minimum of 75% of all gardening space that is  reserved for low-income applicants free of charge and the remaining plots will be made available to other interested community members for a donation of $20. The growing season each year closes at the end of September.  Each 25’ x 25’ plot provided to participants is rototilled and staked off, making the ground ready for you to plant your seedlings.  We recommend you start growing your seedlings at home and bring them to plant in your garden once they have reached a resilient stage after the last frost.  Water is available on site with spigots throughout the gardens. However, hoses are not allowed, so watering your plot must be done by your own watering cans or buckets.

  

2. Try a container garden on your own patio or deck.

There are a few reasons why this can be a great alternative if you want fresh produce in your apartment through out the summer.  Fresh Vegetables and Apartment Living are easy with this technique.

• There is nothing more convenient than stepping out on your own deck for a fresh tomato or a few herbs for a recipe.
• Most patios or decks are sun drenched and your plants will love this.
• Container gardens allow you to control the soil so that you have a perfect mix of fertilizer to ensure success with your garden.
• It takes a lot less water to keep them damp.
• Container gardens are easily accessible for children and mature gardeners.

Pro Tip: Make sure you keep your container garden watered and feed your plants with the proper plant food or fertilizer. Before you know it; you will be enjoying fresh veggies that you grew yourself. Now is the perfect time to get started! Having your own garden can save you time and money. What’s not to love?