48 MOTHER EARTH NEWS December 2016/January 2017cal agencies to see what they need and
what they’d be willing to take. Seek out
groups that would welcome donations,
such as a veterans center or women’s
shelter, as well as food pantries. Grow
what they can use.
Finally, research whether other giving
gardens are already established in your
area. You can learn from them and work
with them. We’re all in this together!Garden Essentials
Consider these factors before you break
ground on your giving garden:
Land. You’re going to need someone to
donate the use of good, arable land that
gets at least six to eight hours of sunlight
a day. Preferably, choose a location that’sconvenient for other growers to get to.
Consider exploring whether a nursing
home, school, park, church, or other or-
ganization would be willing to provide
the land. If you can work under their aus-
pices, that can also help with paperwork.
Otherwise, you’ll probably need to incor-
porate as a nonprofit.
Water. Don’t garden where you don’t
have on-site access to the water you’ll need
for growing plants. We’ve seen gardens
fail that try to get around this necessity by
trucking water in.
Supplies. You’ll be amazed by your
neighbors’ and local businesses’ generos-
ity. We’ve gotten so many supplies — from
fencing to seeds — through donations.
People and businesses are quite generouswhen you personally ask them to fulfill a
specific need. It’s incredibly gratifying to
see. Sometimes I think the best thing The
Lord’s Acre does is make it easy for others
to help. So many folks want to assist oth-
ers, but they sometimes just don’t know
how. Indeed, that’s how our own garden
grew from a one-person idea to a project
that hundreds of people are now involved
in, and that last year grew more than 12
tons of fresh produce on just under an
acre of land.
For me, the surprising reward of this
whole project has been the joy of working
with others. The gratitude individuals ex-
press for our vegetables is a joy to behold.
But food donations don’t solve poverty.
They’re a Band-Aid, but not a solution.
The real solutions come, one little bit at
a time, from people working together
and getting to know each other, so that
eventually we’re all neighbors helping
each other. There’s not a single volunteer
at The Lord’s Acre who doesn’t feel they
receive as much as they give, who doesn’t
appreciate the chance to work together
and grow friendships as well as food.A M Connection
The Lord’s Acre has an interesting connection to the magazine you’re reading. Susan
Sides (our garden manager), Franklin Sides (Susan’s husband), and I (the founder) all
worked for MOTHER EARTH NEWS back in the 1980s. I was
the assistant editor/garden editor, and Susan (pictured
at left) and Franklin were the magazine’s staff garden-
ers. Susan and Franklin gardened at the long-since-
defunct MOTHER EARTH NEWS Eco-Village and, later, in a
smaller garden that provided editorial material.
When the steering committee for The Lord’s Acre in-
terviewed candidates for our garden manager, it quickly
became obvious to everyone that Susan was the perfect
choice. She’s not only an incredible gardener, but an
incredible person, as well. Plus, Franklin’s dedication,
friendliness, and creative handyman talents are a local
legend. It’s been an honor to work with them again. As
Susan puts it, “Relationships are the primary crop in
gardens that give away food. And love is the currency.”LEARN MORE
Susan Sides, the garden manager of
The Lord’s Acre, has compiled in-depth
information on how to start a giving
garden in her book Gardens That Grow
and Give Away Food: A Training Manual.
Based on the experiences of dozens of
giving gardens, this guidebook covers all
the things we wish we’d known when we
started. Go to http://www.TheLordsAcre.org.Community garden members put up a greenhouse to extend their season and grow even more cold-hardy crops, such as greens and carrots.Both photos at top: SUSAN SIDES
(No credit needed for old MEN cover)SUSAN SIDES (2)p 46-48 Giving Garden.indd 48 10/5/16 10:04 AM