Abodes Organic Community Garden

Abodes Organic Community Garden was built in 2014 as part of our goal to make a healthy, sustainable lifestyle available to apartment residents. The Garden is for the use of our residents at any property, as well as the Bloomington community. It’s located inside the Woods at Latimer apartment community — just a short walk from your front door if you live at the Woods. For those coming from a distance, City Bus Lines 3 & 9 stop at the entry to the apartment community, and there’s a bike rack and parking right in front as well. The natural cedar fencing was custom designed by our Abodes design team, but you might start seeing it around town because it’s catching on! Garden plots are raised beds, crafted from all-natural cedar and measure 4 x 10 feet for a full size bed, or 4 x 5 feet for a half size. Beds are available to rent by the growing season, with a discount for Abodes residents.

The Garden was co-designed with Bread & Roses, a local, organic nursery and experts in permaculture. They also provide the soil we use: this is a custom, organic blend made from locally-supplied compost, and enriched with all-natural amendments such as kelp meal, greensand, rock phosphate, lime, peat moss, and beneficial microbial humates. This potent soil supports nutrient-dense food that’s incomparable to what one can find in the supermarket.

Everything else you’ll need is supplied onsite: water, shared tools provided in the shed, a compost bin which over time supplies fertilizer, and a bench for taking a break beneath the shade of a majestic Hickory tree. The Shagbark Hickory is part of the original, untimbered forest of the Latimer Preserve. Hickory trees can live for 200 years, though this one isn’t quite that old. All you’ll need to bring are your seeds and seedlings, and a readiness to discover your green thumb!