Gardening at Senior Housing

Bigfork’s Senior Housing Complex

by Fran Wade

I had hoped to organize a community garden at the Crestview Senior Housing complex in Bigfork this spring.  As most projects, it took more time to accomplish than expected — sort of like herding cats.  With luck, we may have the foundation laid, so that next year we will be ready to plant when the season begins.

The Montana Conservation Corps has added our complex to their list for raised bed boxes in 2010 (see ‘Compact Gardens for Senior Housing,’ below).  And I’m still negotiating with the new manager of the complex for space.

Individual projects in 2009

A few of the residents have been busy with their individual plots, reworking exisiting flower beds, and putting in a tomato plant or two.  A new neighbor offered to help me build a raised bed in the corner of my flower garden, so I started some vegetables.  Now it is a race to finish the preparations before the seedlings overflow their pots.  

I have a few snow peas that I will put close to the building where I can set up a trellis for them to climb.  The bush beans will have a square where I hope they will flourish; and there will be some chard, kale and salad greens.  The kitchen herbs I am putting in smaller pots out on my balcony.

I also will be trying one of those topsy-turvy tomato planters, as are a couple of my neighbors.  We all have a sort of wait-and-see attitude on how well they will perform.

After several failed attempts at growing okra in Montana’s cold soil, I am making a final attempt by planting them in a container this year.  My plan is to roll it inside at night to keep those roots warm, and fool those little southern babies into production.  Time will tell.

Compact Gardens for Senior Housing

by Catherine Haug

The April 21, 2009 issue of the Daily Interlake, featured an article titled “Senior complexes get compact gardens,” by Candace Chase.  A project of the Agency on Aging and the Montana Conservation Corps (MCC) provided “small but productive ‘square foot’ garden boxes for seniors around the Flathead.”  This project is totally volunteer, and depend on donations of time and materials to meet their goal for the Senior housing complexes.

Square Foot Gardening is a very popular raised-bed gardening method developed by Mel Bartholomew, and will also be the basis of the gardening plots next year at St. Patrick’s Community Garden.

This method consists of a 4 foot by 4 foot (or in some cases, 3 foot by 5 foot) raised bed equipped with a grid of 1-foot squares to organize the planting.  The small size makes the planting area easily accessible by all people. They may be placed alone, or together with other boxes to make an expanded garden.

The Montana Conservation Corps worked with the Center for Restorative Youth Justice to provide the first boxes, and developed a high level of collaboration.  Many other groups around the Flathead have also been involved.  

The first boxes were placed at facilities including the Veteran’s Home in Columbia Falls, Big Sky Manor in Kalispell, and Mountain View Manor in Whitefish.  Those interested in having one of these boxes should contact the Agency on Aging at 748-5730 or Montana Conservation Corps at 756-3619.

The boxes are made from wood recycled from diseased trees, or individual donations of lumber.  Donations of straw and soil, as well as more wood, are still needed.

For the Seniors project, the boxes are filled with “a scientific layering of leaves, compost, amendments and soil called ‘sheet mulching’ to produce a dynamic medium that grows more produce than a typical backyard garden of the same size. … producing 100% of the harvest in 20% of the space.” However, Mel of Square Foot Gardening recommends a mix of 1/3 compost, 1/3 peat, and 1/3 vermiculite (or perlite).

[See ESP post on Garden Soil for more on sheet mulching.  See also Lasagna Gardening by Patricia Lanza]

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