User:Strikeroot/Sandbox



The Shelton Community Garden was an urban community garden in Raleigh, North Carolina that existed from 2009 to 2012. The garden was located on the grounds of the Shelton Apartments in the West Morgan neighborhood, between the City's center and the campus of North Carolina State University. Started by Josh Whiton, the garden made extensive use of reclaimed materials and cost less than $100 to build.

Features


The 264 sq. ft. garden was divided into twenty-four 8 sq. ft. plots. The goal of the design was to provide small, low-maintenance plots to the residents (many of whom were first-time gardeners) in which to practice intensive growing techniques. The garden was designed so that every inch of soil could be reached from the wood-plank walkways. A short fence, the only non-reclaimed material used, surrounded the garden to keep dogs and rabbits out. The garden was also bordered on the North and East sides by two red-brick apartment buildings that absorbed heat during the day and radiated it at night, extending the effective growing season of the garden well into the winter. A long fence to the south of the garden provided ideal vertical growing space for climbing vegetables. The garden was fertilized primarily by a compost bin constructed a few months prior to the garden's construction by Josh Whiton and Adam Parsley. The bin was built from discarded wood pallets and was used by dozens of residents.

Garden Closes


The Garden was dismantled by apartment management in the spring of 2012. From the beginning the garden was plagued by a contentious relationship with the property's management who were, from the start, wary of the garden and compost bin and never came to recognize either as potentially attractive amenities to residents. When Josh moved in 2010, management banned him from the property stating that the garden was for tenants only. They also asked him to remove the compost bin. While numerous tenants continued to use the garden, the apartment management's lack of support and even antagonism resulted in nearly all garden members moving from the apartments in frustration and protest, causing the garden to eventually fall into abandon.