Share and Share Alike part II

In a previous blog  titled Share & Share Alike Part I, I introduced a concept that allows landowners to share a bit of their land with people that do not have the physical resources of their own, but have the desire to grow a garden.

Most of the feedback I received was positive.  No one really felt it was a bad idea, but there were a few misunderstandings. Also, no one claimed to be willing to share land they weren’t using.  Let me make myself very clear here at this point. The key word here is “Share”. Money exchange is not part of the deal. If you are a landowner and you have your heart set on leasing a portion of your property then you do not qualify for this program. That works for someone that wants to plant a large crop of feed corn or hay, or if you are looking for somewhere to keep a horse.

Here is a scenario…..

 

Lenny was raised in the country and would love to have a vegetable garden and maybe even can some things for winter. The problem is he has no garden space as his finances require him to live somewhere where he can’t have one.

Sam has the knowledge and a few tools, but his land is so rocky it will not sustain a productive garden without some major excavating.

Martha is a widow that has been living on the same land for 40 years. Her children live in another state, and although Martha is still in pretty good health, she is incapable of working a garden alone.

Landshare comes into the picture and puts these three folks together to work a garden on Martha’s land, and then they share in the bounty.

Of course, the landowner is not required to be involved. Suppose you have an extra lot you don’t use but at the same time you are out of town a lot and don’t have time to work in the garden? Maybe you are willing to just allow the family down the road to use that lot for a garden space?
Maybe you have a lot of experience and you would like to be a mentor and teach others what you’ve learned over the years. That would also be very valuable and rewarding to all involved.

There are so many variations of ways to help one another.  This is a win-win arrangement no matter how you look at it. Sure, there will need to be preset boundaries and discussions. Most people that are not serious about it will not be willing to move forward once they realize the work needed, and since cash is not being introduced into it, that also reduces the chances of someone being taken advantage of.

Additional benefits to a program like this other than the ones already mentioned in Part I are,

• ·         Good stress reducer (from the physical work, from the healthier foods, from the reduced cost at the grocery store, from the fresh air and sunshine, from the fellowship of friends and family, from the satisfaction of accomplishment)

• ·         A wonderful way to mentor people, including children.

• ·         The consistent increase in your own education.

Check around in your own community to see what is available and what you can do to help.