Growing your own food can start with something surprisingly simple: four planks of wood, a drill, and a handful of screws.At The Food Project, staff and volunteers are helping Boston residents build raised garden beds through grant-funded programs funded by the city of Boston that are designed to make fresh food more accessible — one backyard at a time.”We’re trying to make it really easy for people to get started growing food,” said Evan O’Neal of The Food Project.Building the BedThe basic raised bed measures four feet by eight feet. The materials are relatively inexpensive — about $33 worth of untreated kiln-dried lumber, plus long wood screws.”Everybody should get some TimberLOK screws — these are six inches long,” O’Neal said while demonstrating the build.The process is straightforward: line up the boards, drill pilot holes, and screw the corners together. The key, O’Neal says, is using untreated wood.”If you do get it pressure treated, they are using chemicals in that,” he said. “If that is in the wood, it’s going to end up in your soil and your food.”Some gardeners also place landscape fabric underneath the bed to create a barrier between the garden soil and the ground below.”It helps to make sure there is no contact with the ground soil,” O’Neal said, “because you don’t know what’s underneath it in terms of lead asbestos.”Once the frame is complete, the biggest expense comes next: filling the bed with soil. But the investment can pay off quickly.”With these raised garden beds, you can fit a lot of food in here,” O’Neal said, listing collards, kale, beets and Swiss chard as some of the food he’s seen planted in the beds.The organization delivers beds to residents in Dorchester and nearby neighborhoods while also operating a community farm and greenhouse focused on youth jobs and food access.Grid Gardening Just as important as building the bed is knowing how to plant it. Danielle Andrews of The Food Project teaches “square-foot gardening,” a method that helps gardeners maximize small spaces without overcrowding them and reducing their yield.”People get overexcited and put too many plants into a small space,” Andrews said.Using a simple grid made from paint sticks, gardeners divide the bed into one-square-foot sections. Different vegetables require different amounts of room.”Scallions are not going to get very big, so I can plant nine in there,” Andrews said.Broccoli, however, needs much more space.”You can only fit one head of broccoli into a square foot,” she said. “You’ll be tempted to put more in, but you’ll be disappointed.”Tomatoes need even more room.”A tomato will be between four and eight feet tall by the end of the season,” Andrews said. “They actually need four square feet.”For people without a backyard, Andrews said container gardening can still produce plenty of food.”One tomato should go into one five-gallon bucket,” she said. “Put the tomato right in the middle, and then we can put some quick-growing smaller things around the edges.”Herbs are another favorite choice.”I think it’s always great to have herbs growing because they attract beneficial insects, which are great for your garden,” she said.The Food Project also encourages gardeners to replenish nutrients each year with compost or fertilizer, especially in containers where plants quickly use up nutrients in the soil.Andrews says one of her favorite parts of the work is seeing how invested people become in their gardens.”People come with their phones and show me pictures of their gardens the way that a grandmother shows pictures of their new grandbaby,” she said. “People get so much out of growing their own food. It’s a universal experience.”
BOSTON —
Growing your own food can start with something surprisingly simple: four planks of wood, a drill, and a handful of screws.
At The Food Project, staff and volunteers are helping Boston residents build raised garden beds through grant-funded programs funded by the city of Boston that are designed to make fresh food more accessible — one backyard at a time.
“We’re trying to make it really easy for people to get started growing food,” said Evan O’Neal of The Food Project.
Building the Bed
The basic raised bed measures four feet by eight feet. The materials are relatively inexpensive — about $33 worth of untreated kiln-dried lumber, plus long wood screws.
“Everybody should get some TimberLOK screws — these are six inches long,” O’Neal said while demonstrating the build.
The process is straightforward: line up the boards, drill pilot holes, and screw the corners together. The key, O’Neal says, is using untreated wood.
“If you do get it pressure treated, they are using chemicals in that,” he said. “If that is in the wood, it’s going to end up in your soil and your food.”
Some gardeners also place landscape fabric underneath the bed to create a barrier between the garden soil and the ground below.
“It helps to make sure there is no contact with the ground soil,” O’Neal said, “because you don’t know what’s underneath it in terms of lead [or] asbestos.”
Once the frame is complete, the biggest expense comes next: filling the bed with soil. But the investment can pay off quickly.
“With these raised garden beds, you can fit a lot of food in here,” O’Neal said, listing collards, kale, beets and Swiss chard as some of the food he’s seen planted in the beds.
The organization delivers beds to residents in Dorchester and nearby neighborhoods while also operating a community farm and greenhouse focused on youth jobs and food access.
Grid Gardening
Just as important as building the bed is knowing how to plant it. Danielle Andrews of The Food Project teaches “square-foot gardening,” a method that helps gardeners maximize small spaces without overcrowding them and reducing their yield.
“People get overexcited and put too many plants into a small space,” Andrews said.
Using a simple grid made from paint sticks, gardeners divide the bed into one-square-foot sections. Different vegetables require different amounts of room.
“Scallions are not going to get very big, so I can plant nine in there,” Andrews said.
Broccoli, however, needs much more space.
“You can only fit one head of broccoli into a square foot,” she said. “You’ll be tempted to put more in, but you’ll be disappointed.”
Tomatoes need even more room.
“A tomato will be between four and eight feet tall by the end of the season,” Andrews said. “They actually need four square feet.”
For people without a backyard, Andrews said container gardening can still produce plenty of food.
“One tomato should go into one five-gallon bucket,” she said. “Put the tomato right in the middle, and then we can put some quick-growing smaller things around the edges.”
Herbs are another favorite choice.
“I think it’s always great to have herbs growing because they attract beneficial insects, which are great for your garden,” she said.
The Food Project also encourages gardeners to replenish nutrients each year with compost or fertilizer, especially in containers where plants quickly use up nutrients in the soil.
Andrews says one of her favorite parts of the work is seeing how invested people become in their gardens.
“People come with their phones and show me pictures of their gardens the way that a grandmother shows pictures of their new grandbaby,” she said. “People get so much out of growing their own food. It’s a universal experience.”
Dining and Cooking