Create A Resilience Garden!
It's Good for Health, Joy, and Connection
Creating a garden not only provides delicious and nutritious food. It provides peace of mind. Connection. And appreciation. It cultivates patience, resilience, and relationships.
During this time of uncertainty, it can provide grounding. This resource is being created in the context of a crisis, but will serve to connect those who remain close, and increase resilience, both now and in the future. A garden can be used to create educational lessons, ranging from soil health to food production; from energy to public health. It can also serve as an outlet for anxieties and fears.
Let's use this time to reconnect with nature, family, and all that is important. It will help to carry us through, while cultivating things that matter most.
On March 25th, the New York Times published an article entitled, " Food Supply Anxiety Brings Back Victory Gardens ", noting that Americans were once urged to plant in every patch of available soil — and produced about 40 percent of the nation’s fresh vegetables... “Small things count,” read a headline in the tiny, insistent pamphlet published by the National War Garden Commission in 1919.
To participate in a similar grassroots movement in response to COVID-19, click here .
How Do We Start?
Choose the Right Location
Vegetable gardens need to incorporate at least six hours of sunlight daily, good drainage and air circulation, and a level location with loose, rich soil that doesn't tend to flood or dry out often. There should also be a nearby source of water.
Click here to learn more about selecting the best location for a garden.
Creating a garden starts with building healthy soil.
1. Dig a hole that’s 12” x 12” x 6” deep.
Put the soil you remove into a bucket or onto a piece of cardboard. Write down a few notes about your observations.
2. Count the worms.
Sort through the soil you just removed and count earthworms. If you find 10+ worms, your soil fertility (and ecosystem) is in good shape. If you find fewer, learn more about improving your soil. How many did you find?
3. Test the drainage.
Make your hole 12” deep and fill it with water. How long does it take to drain? Fill the hole with water again. How long does it take to drain the second time? If it takes longer than 8 hours, you’ll want to learn about improving drainage and consider using containers or raised beds.
Click here to learn or teach about what makes soil healthy, how to identify your soil type, and how to improve your soil health.
Choosing Your Vegetables
Growing your best vegetables will require proper spacing, high quality seeds, and proper watering, planting and harvesting. Click here for advice from the Old Farmer's Almanac on how to choose your vegetables.
Direct seeding is an economical way to grow your own vegetables, and with patience and persistence, your efforts will pay off. Different seeds are planted at different times during the year, and it is not too late for many vegetables. Click here for a guide on ideal seeding times.
Top Ten Vegetables
(Tip: Click on a veggie’s name to see its detailed Growing Guide.)
Tips for When You are Tight on Space
Small spaces can still yield lots of vegetables if planned properly. Click here for more details on these 7 high yield strategies to make the most of your garden space.
- Plant in raised beds with rich soil
- Round out the soil in your beds
- Plant crops in triangles instead of rows
- Grow climbing plants to capitalize on space
- Pick compatible pairings
- Time your crops carefully
- Stretch your season by covering your beds
Alternative gardens
Container gardens
Explore container gardening if you lack adequate yard space, or want more control over growing conditions.
Container gardens can add versatility, focal points, or just more of what you love.
Flower gardens and pollinator pathways
Flowers are an easy way to begin growing, and can also create habitats for pollinators.
Whimsical Children's Gardens
An inviting and entertaining garden is more likely to draw in the youngest gardeners. Click here for tips on creating an alluring space for children to learn and interact with nature.
Supporting Lesson Plan Resources
Gardens are a great way to create connections between students and the outdoors. Many organizations have created free lesson plans for preK-12th grade, which align with STEM/next generation science standards. Here are a few:
Additional Questions?
The Westchester branch of the Cornell Cooperative Extension offers educators who are available to answer questions and offer advice. They answer numerous questions about plant, tree and lawn care, vegetable and flower gardening, and home and garden pest management practices for Westchester County residents.
People may also ask CAROLYN, a Master Gardner from Pleasantville, NY, specific questions by emailing: violingarden@gmail.com
However you choose to create your garden, whether large, small, flower, vegetable, container, or bed, with patience and persistence, it will serve you and yours well.
Special thanks to Dr. Susan Rubin , a leader in community gardening in Westchester County, NY.
To learn more about what Westchester County is doing to increase community resilience, or to become involved, please contact Courtney Wieber cqwm@westchestercountyny.gov
