When we think of a community garden, we might conjure a similar image: a little square of soil on a formerly vacant lot, nestled between houses, hosting peppers and tomatoes grown by neighbors.

It’s a lovely image. But as the nature of social circles evolve, community has taken on a different meaning—and I believe the community garden can be reimagined, too.

Friends with benefits

The only thing more wonderful than growing something beautiful is sharing it with others. It amplifies the plentiful benefits of gardening exponentially.

You could say the shared garden is greater than its individual parts.

Growing together can take many shapes. I think that’s the beauty of it. But here are a few of my favorite ways to share in the delights of gardening:

Plant swap

Over time, perennial flowers mature and often multiply. It’s a great opportunity to swap or gift plants. Last spring, I took home clematis and bearded iris from my mom’s garden, and they’re now growing beautifully in my own yard.

Our neighborhood is also starting a plant swap, with plants like garden phlox, hydrangeas, butterfly bushes and hosta ready to be exchanged (those all multiply or divide easily, by the way!).

It’s nice to gain a new plant or two, while learning from those who already grew them with success.

Bounty swap

The fruits of your labor are just as enjoyable to share as the plants themselves.

I grow a number of flowers that are great for cutting—dahlias, cosmos and zinnias to name a few. My friend Jordan is an avid vegetable gardener. Throughout the summer, bouquets of fresh cut flowers and baskets of tomatoes and parsley flow freely between our gardens.

Shared garden

If you live in the city, you may have friends in apartments or homes that don’t have an outside space. Why not share your garden bed and grow together? Think of it as a more intimate community garden.

All of these versions of gardening have the benefit of learning and growing alongside friends, and building community along the way.

Summer sowalong

Another excellent way of creating a community garden is growing together, no matter where you are.

So that’s why I created the Garden People Summer Sowalong. I couldn’t be more excited!

Here’s how it works: Fill out the contact form here, I will send you some seeds (for free!), and we’ll all sow them on the same day. I’ll share info and tips as our flowers grow throughout the summer.

That’s it! It’s simple, low risk (even if you don’t have a green thumb!), and hopefully will be both rewarding and fun!

If you’ve already signed up…

Thank you! It means the world to have you in this little garden club of sorts.

Soon, I’ll mail you a packet of seeds. We’ll all grow the same type of flower, but the varieties will be different from one person to the next (that means different shapes, sizes and colors!). The flower type and your specific variety will be revealed when you receive your seeds in the mail!

I’ll send an email to officially kick off the sowalong in mid-May. In the meantime, forward this email to a friend and do it together!

📖 Book I’m reading

The Sense of Wonder by Rachel Carson. A departure from her more scientific work, this book is a short, poetic ode to the extraordinary curiosities of nature, both big and small. Though I’m not a parent, it would double as an amazing parenting book.

👩🏻‍🌾 Seeds I’m sowing

I recently sowed the first outdoor seeds of the season: spinach, lettuce, onions, broccoli, cauliflower, sugar snap peas. You can find more info on early-spring vegetables in Issue 04!

🌸 Flower I’m admiring

Tulips, tulips, tulips! They are finally starting peaking out, and so marks the true start of the growing season. There are three types of tulips, categorized by when they bloom: early season, mid season and late season. That means you can start the tulip show now and carry it on right through June!

I really hope you’ll join us for the summer sowalong! Any guesses on the flower we’ll be growing? Anything you’re nervous about? Reply to this email and let me know!

xx

Courtney