Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District Alert:

703-324-1460 TTY 711

ConservationDistrict@fairfaxcounty.gov

12055 Government Center Parkway
Suite 905, Fairfax, VA 22035

nvswcd

Willie Woode
Executive Director

Department Resources

Community Garden Guide

Welcome to community gardening!

Cover for the Community Garden Guide

Whether you’re new to gardening or know the difference between determinate and indeterminate tomatoes, we’ve created this workbook to support you. If you’re a property manager who wants to create a growing space for others, we also salute you and will support your work too.

We want you all to be successful. Our #1 goal is to create more local community gardens so that everyone can have access to fresh and culturally appropriate vegetables, fruits and herbs that fit their diet and their budget.

A community garden has no set size or location. It can be in a neighborhood, a schoolyard, the grounds of a house of worship -- anywhere that people want to come together to grow food. Some community gardeners grow for themselves, but others grow for their school cafeteria, for their congregation or clients, or to distribute to people who don’t otherwise have access to nutritious, affordable produce.

Regardless of your goals, we’re here to help.

View the Complete Welcome to Community Gardening! Guide Here

You can also explore the different sections of the guide below. Thank you for supporting community gardening in Fairfax County!

This section of Welcome to Community Gardening! includes:

How to form a community garden team
Find a location for your garden (including permits)
Setting rules for your community garden
Common equipment needed to get started
How to design and set up your garden
How to start composting

View Section 1. Before You Break Ground: Pre-planting Here

This section of Welcome to Community Gardening! includes:

What to plant, when to plant it, and how to plant it
A guide to common garden crops
How to best take advantage of your garden space
How and why to incorporate flowers into your garden
How to design your garden plan

View Section 2. Planning and Designing Your Garden Here

This section of Welcome to Community Gardening! includes:

How to maintain healthy soil
A guide to common mulches
Using cover crops
Irrigation and watering
Weeding and herbicides
A guide to common weeds in Northern Virginia
Plant nutrients and fertilizers
A guide to garden pests and beneficial insects
A guide to common diseases in edible gardens and how to manage them
When to harvest your vegetables

View Section 3. Taking Care of Your Garden: Routine Maintenance Here

This section of Welcome to Community Gardening! includes:

Crops to plant in fall
When and how to harvest seeds
Fall management for your garden

View Section 4. Fall in the Garden Here

This section of Welcome to Community Gardening! includes:

A table for your garden plan
Space to plan and design your garden
Record space for soil amendments, weed management, and disease and pest management
A table for your harvest record

View the Garden Journal Here

Garden Calendars

“Between the Rows,” Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia’s monthly online newsletter with timely To Do lists and articles relevant to vegetable gardening that month.
Fairfax County Master Gardeners online garden calendar, outlining each month’s gardening chores.

Composting

“Making Compost from Yard Waste” by Ed Rishell, Extension Master Gardener.
“Using Compost in Your Landscape” by Virginia Cooperative Extension.

Cover Crops

“Choosing Cover Crops,” Piedmont Master Gardeners.
“How to turn in your cover crops,” New York Botanic Gardens. 3:22-minute video on YouTube.

DIY (Do It Yourself)

“How to Florida Weave Tomatoes,” YouTube video with Louisiana State University Ag Center horticulture agent Joe Willis.
“How to Make a Rain Gauge,” South Caroline Botanical Garden at Clemson University.

Food Insecurity

The Route 1 Lived Experiences Report: Food Insecurity During the Covid-19 Pandemic by the Arcadia Center for Sustainable Food and Agriculture. April 2021.
2019 Child Food Insecurity by Feeding America.
Hunger Report 2021 by the Capital Area Food Bank.
USDA Food Access Research Atlas (Food Desert Map).

Maximizing Garden Space

“How to grow a Three Sisters Garden,” Native Seeds SEARCH.
Intensive Gardening Methods (Publication 426-335), Virginia Cooperative Extension, includes information about how far to space seeds for intensive growing and garden plans for maximum harvest.

Nutrients/Fertilizers

“Fertilizing the Vegetable Garden,” Virginia Cooperative Extension.
"Fertilizing Vegetables,” University of Maryland Extension.

Pest and Disease Management

“Alternaria leaf spot and head rot of Brassica crops,” University of Minnesota Extension.
“Blossom End Rot on Vegetables,” University of Maryland Extension.
“Diagnosing Plant Problems,” Virginia Cooperative Extension.
“Fall Crop Pests and Tips and Tricks for Reducing Overwintering Pests,” by Kirsten Conrad, Agriculture Natural Resource Extension Agent, Virginia Cooperative Extension.
Home Vegetable Insects, “2024 Pest Management Guide,” Virginia Cooperative Extension.
“Organic and Biological Control of Plant Diseases,” PennState Extension provides information about specific organic methods for growing and maintaining healthy plants without using synthetic (man-made) fertilizers, pesticides, hormones, and other materials.
“Powdery Mildew on Vegetables,” University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources’ Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program.
“Powdery Mildew vs. Downy Mildew,” University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences’ Extension Gardening Solutions.
Virginia Tech Insect ID Lab. For help identifying an insect in your garden.
“What’s Eating My [Cucumbers, Tomatoes, Eggplant, Beans, Squash]?” Video presentation by Kirsten Conrad, Agriculture Natural Resource Extension Agent, Virginia Cooperative Extension.

Season Extending

“Extending Your Growing Season Into Winter,” by Jim Howland, Hands On Harvests.
“Tips for Selecting a Hobby Greenhouse,” Elizabeth Cornell Fake, Fairfax Master Gardener.
U.S. Botanic Garden Greenhouse Manual.

Seed Saving

National Seed Swap Day, provides information about seed swaps across the country on January 30 of each year.
The Rocky Mountain Seed Alliance hosts a Seed School that teaches people how to save seeds. They also host monthly, online, free “seed socials” with speakers and Q&A.
Seed Savers Exchange Heirloom Seeds is one of the oldest and most established seed-saving organizations in the United States.
Seed Libraries will teach you how to set up a Seed Library to store and share seeds with your fellow gardeners.
Southern Exposure Seed Exchange shares seed-saving guides on its website.

Soil

“Soil Health, Drainage and Improving Soil.” University of Maryland Extension.
“Soil Sampling for the Home Gardener,” Virginia Tech.
Virginia Tech Soil Testing Lab
- Analyzes soil samples submitted by the public and university researchers. Tests evaluate the soil's nutrient potential and determine the most beneficial application rates of fertilizer and lime for optimum plant growth. The fee is $10 and all results are sent by email. You can get soil test kits from the Fairfax office of Virginia Cooperative Extension, the Fairfax County Master Gardeners or Hands On Harvests.
- To see an example of the form that gardeners need to submit with their soil sample, go to https://www.soiltest.vt.edu/content/dam/soiltest_vt_edu/PDF/SSIS-452-125.pdf.
- For information on how to understand your test results, visit https://www.soiltest.vt.edu/content/dam/soiltest_vt_edu/PDF/soil-test-note-01.pdf

Starting a Community Garden

Fairfax County community garden guidelines and resources.
Fairfax County Watersheds and Resource Protected Areas map.
Resource Protected Areas and the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Ordinance.
Start a Community Food Garden: The Essential Handbook by LaManda Joy. Can be checked out from the Fairfax County Public Library, call number 635 J 2014.

Starting Plants from Seed

“Plant Propagation from Seed,” Virginia Cooperative Extension.
“A Beginner’s Growing Guide,” Southern Exposure Seed Exchange.

Tomatoes

“Tips on Transplanting Tomatoes,” Piedmont Master Gardeners.
“Pruning Tomato Plants,” University of New Hampshire Extension.

Vegetable Gardening (General Resources)

“8 Easy Tips for Growing and Curing Garlic,” by Lori Krishnan, Hands On Harvests.
Arlington Food Assistance Center. Multiple vegetable garden resources, including pest management and irrigation techniques for gardens without water access.
“Fall Garden Advice from an Expert,” featuring US Botanic Gardens’ Thomas Crawley, Hands On Harvests.
Home Vegetable Gardening, Virginia Cooperative Extension.
The Timber Press Guide to Vegetable Gardening in the Southeast by Ira Wallace of Southern Exposure Seed Exchange. Can be checked out from the Fairfax County Public Library, call number 635.09 W 2013.
“Virginia’s Home Garden Vegetable Planting Guide: Recommended Planting Dates and Amounts to Plant,” Virginia Cooperative Extension.

Windbreaks

“Windbreaks for Fruit and Vegetable Crops” by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension.

Arcadia Center for Sustainable Food and Agriculture

Provides ample volunteer opportunities to farm with the crew and hosts field trips and a summer Farm Camp for kids. The Veteran Farmer program trains military veterans for new careers in agriculture. The Live, Eat, Grow Route 1 program gives support to community and school gardens and offers a summer internship program to teens.

Fairfax County Master Gardeners

Help Desk info: https://fairfaxgardening.org/help-desk/
Plant Clinic info: https://fairfaxgardening.org/plant-clinics/

Fairfax County Planning, Permitting, and Construction

Fairfax County Assistance for Religious Uses and Nonprofit Community Groups
- Guides organizations through the County's zoning and permitting requirements for non-residential land development and construction.
Fairfax County Zoning Evaluation Division
- Processes all zoning applications submitted to the County, contact for the special permit application process for proposed garden sites greater than 2 acres.
Fairfax County Zoning Administration Division
- Interprets and implements the adopted Zoning and Noise ordinances in a fair, consistent, and accurate manner.

Fairfax Food Council

Provides workshops on vegetable and community gardening through its Urban Agriculture Work Group. All are welcome to attend the meetings of that work group and of the Food Access & Literacy Work Group.

Fauquier Education Farm in Warrenton

The farm offers a variety of classes and programs. They also seek volunteers to come out and help during the growing season.

Hands On Harvests

Gives seeds, plants and mentorship to gardeners of all experience levels and manages and supports community gardens.
The website includes an updated list of Northern Virginia pantries that accept fresh produce.

Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District

Rain Barrel Workshops
This agency can prepare a Soil and Water Quality Conservation Plan for your garden.
Provides educational programs, resources, and advice.

Virginia Cooperative Extension, Fairfax County office

Provides educational programs, has soil test kits available, provides resources and advice.

Welcome to Community Gardening! is a product of Nourish the Land, Cultivate Community, a community garden project coordinated by the Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District (NVSWCD). It was made possible by an Urban Agriculture Conservation Grant from the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).

This guide is the property of the Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District. It may be freely reproduced for non-commercial uses with credit to NVSWCD. Cover art by Janelle Welch.