The Community Gardens of Tucson

   

Green Globe Artichokes at CGT

While looking for an organization that could fulfill my gardening needs I came upon The Community Gardens of Tucson. Though I chose not to join their organization, I do enjoy talking with members of their organization and have come to appreciate much of what they do for all Tucson Gardeners.

The role of the Community Gardens of Tucson (CGT) is to establish and maintain community gardens and provide education to help Tucson residents grow food in garden communities within their neighborhood. In this endeavor, the organization has done a great job. In most every community throughout Tucson, one can find plots established by the CGT for local gardeners who are willing to pay the membership fees.



The Community Gardens of Tucson's New Spirit Garden

So what do gardeners get for their fees? They receive an irrigated lowered garden plot. As one speaker from CGT said at a Tucson Organic Gardeners meeting, they remove the native soil and put in a mixture of high quality soil that includes finished compost. Along with west side or partial shade, the plots established by the Community Gardens of Tucson are a very good example of what gardeners should do in a very hot climate. The pictures for this post were taken at only one garden – the New Spirit Garden near Old Spanish Trail and Camino Seco in Tucson.

A great example of a "lowered bed" garden



Another View of the garden with Tomato Plants in the Background

The organization’s founder, George Brookbank, has written several books about gardening here in Tucson and has a fun little blog where he offers some advice and discusses seasonal gardening conditions.

A pretty Red Poppy - not taken by a  photographer's camera (=