SHARED ABUNDANCE GARDENS
Welcome, we are so glad you're here! Never gardened before? This is the project for you. Master gardener? This is also the project for you. Excited to build a caring, resilient community? This is definitely the project for you.
Para español ve a Jardines de Abundancia Compartidos
Shared Abundance Gardens is an initiative launched by Abundance Farm during the Covid-19 crisis to promote people growing food at home and sharing their harvests with others. Shared Abundance Gardens is a collective of Connecticut Valley gardeners, both experienced and first-timers, united in their commitment to share the fruits of their harvests. Participating gardeners are able to support the collective initiative through financial contributions that go towards the purchase of shared materials, as well as through offering technical support and encouragement to others.
Vision
We envision a resilient community that responds to collective crises with creativity, generosity and by actively seeking out ways to support one another.
Shared Abundance Gardens takes the spirit of our Farm’s Pick-Your-Own Community Harvest Program out into the community. We hope that this project helps promote the Jewish vision that natural resources are fundamentally not owned by individuals but are meant to be equitably shared. We aim to build pathways for both giving and receiving that are inclusive of all types of diversity.
Commitments from Gardeners
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Commitment to share your harvest beyond just your household. How? It’s your choice, but here are some ideas. (We’ll help you figure it out!)
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Share a few veggies with friends and neighbors
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Bring a bumper crop to a central location for distribution
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Start a neighborhood cooperative
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Commitment to support the overall initiative by making a financial contribution (sliding scale $0-180) towards the material costs, and/or volunteering your gardening expertise or land to others
Commitments from Abundance Farm
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Access Access to material resources
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Compost
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Wood chip mulch
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Vegetable and flower seedlings from Abundance Farm and Daydreamer Seedlings.
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A weekly email that includes timely, practical tutorials and curated resources for a healthy garden
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Technical assistance through matching expert gardeners with people who can use help
Ready to be a Shared Abundance Garden?
***Seedling distribution is now over for the season***
If you would like register your garden so that you can to receive emails and be part of the community of sharing, we would still love to have you join. Register your garden here.
Got a question? Your questions might be answered in our Frequently Asked Questions, below. If not, send us an email at sharedabundance@abundancefarm.org
FAQS
What if I don’t know how to grow food? (aka, I’m a new gardener, I kill everything, etc.)
We hear you! We are especially excited to support first time growers. You can do this! You will have really simple, clear instructions every week, and a network of people with gardening expertise that you can lean on.
What if I’m an experienced gardener and don’t need your help with that?
That’s so amazing to hear! We hope to hear about your harvest, and can offer other forms of expertise and a bond of community. Because you know what you are doing, you are in the best position to share with others. Could you grow an extra row this year?
I already bought so many seeds and got started. Can I just come and get compost and woodchips?
Yes! We’re happy to help jumpstart your gardening initiative, in whatever form that might take.
Do you provide raised bed materials?
No, we do not, but we do provide expertise on making a raised bed. We will also direct you on who can help you build a bed and where to get the soil to fill it.
I only have a little patio space.
Gardening can be done anywhere. Keep an eye out for our first educational newsletter that will touch on container gardening.
I’m worried I won’t have enough of a harvest to share with anyone else. Can I just do this for myself?
A shared harvest can look like anything. A couple of tomatoes to your neighbor, a bundle of herbs left out on your stoop-whatever you can share will go a long way!
I live in an apartment and my landlord won’t let me start a garden.
This can be difficult to navigate. If you can’t start a garden outside, you can explore container gardening, which we will speak on in our educational newsletter. Also, we would be happy to provide a letter to submit to your landlord, letting them know you are part of this initiative. Maybe that would help?
I’m interested in more than just growing food; I would love plant flowers to help our pollinator population.
In addition to the vegetables and herbs that we know we will have available for pickup, we may have other plants that are pollinator-friendly in the future! Keep your eyes out for our email updates.
I heard Abundance Farm is based on Jewish principles. Do I have to be Jewish? Are there any expectations I should know about?
Everyone is welcome at the Farm!Part of Abundance Farm’s vision is that people from all backgrounds will deepen their understanding of how land, nature, and agriculture are parts of their own ancestral stories. Our weekly email may include some Jewish learning opportunities, but feel free to click through only if it’s of interest to you. We hope this inspires you to share your ancestral stories with us!
I want 2 tomato plants and one cucumber. Can I come and pick out exactly what I want?
You can pick up a kit of seedlings, base on the size and sun of your garden. If you want to leave something behind, you can. You can also grab something that another gardener left behind. But you can't pick and choose the same way you would in a store.
Still have questions? Contact sharedabundance@abundancefarm.org
Thank you to Dan Dostal for contributing wood chips to this initiative. Check out his excellent tree services at www.dostaltreeservices.com and let him know we sent you.
Ready to be a Shared Abundance Garden?