Digging In: Lessons from BCHG’s Community Garden

What Does It Take to be a Non-Profit Intern?

The process of turning a garden over from winter’s jungle to the summer’s growing season is an arduous one. The first challenge is simply the chaos of it all: heaps of weeds waiting to be plucked, soil drained of nutrients, and leftover structures from last season. On top of clearing that away, you must also think ahead to crop spacing, which plants will thrive together, and how the sunlight will fall on your garden. All of this has to be done under a pressing time limit. If things aren’t planted soon enough, they won’t mature in time for their fruits to ripen in the thick summer heat.

When I started my time as a gardening intern at Bucks County Housing Group, there was a lot to be done. By the time I started, the calendar was already turning over to June. And when I looked at the overgrown landscape before me, I almost felt overwhelmed. But luckily, gardening is just taking simple principles and putting them into practice. I weeded every bed, turning them into perfectly manicured plots. I selected transplants, getting half of them for free from our community partner, Rolling Harvest Food Rescue (Thanks Elyse!). Also, I researched to find the best free compost in the area, which is located on Ferry Road in Doylestown at the Peace Valley Equestrian Center, just so you know.

But I quickly learned that it wasn’t enough to be a good gardener this summer. I also needed to learn how to be a good non-profit intern.

How to Succeed as a Non-Profit Intern

Being a non-profit intern is a task that requires a lot of different skills. First, and undoubtably paramount, you must be committed to the cause. It hasn’t been easy in non-profit recently, that’s no secret. I spent my mornings this summer planting, fertilizing, and watering, but I spent my evenings watching the news that seemed to be destroying everything that me and everyone around Bucks County has been building for decades. But this just added fuel to my fire to wake up early the next day and be the best intern I could.

Next, your biggest asset is to be resourceful. Non-profit work is all about how to efficiently manage resources, and being able to do more with less is a crucial skill. Being resourceful means you must regularly take stock of what you have at your disposal, how much of that resource you will use, and how you can fill that gap, ideally at as low-cost as possible. This could mean asking community partners or volunteers for their assistance in closing these gaps, or looking online for items listed for free. Another strategy is to use things in an inventive way, such as turning sticks into trellises for vining plants.

Collaboration is Key

Another huge skill to have is connections. Non-profits thrive off of our relationships. The more contacts you have, the more efficiently each non-profit can work together, all overlapping and helping each other reach their goals. Get help from others, but also don’t be afraid to donate your time to their causes as well. Learn from people who have been in the industry for a long time and let them fill you with their real-world, lived experience.

Finally, don’t be afraid to implement new ideas. This summer, I submitted a proposal to add a new compost system to our garden. I also designed a weekly newsletter that now goes out to volunteers. Because of these ideas, more interest has been generated in the garden, so I can begin to host some gardening workshops for everyone to enjoy! These ideas become improvements for everyone so never be afraid to use a creative solution or propose a new idea.

Observations and Impact of the Community Garden

Now, the garden is absolutely gorgeous and overflowing with life. Every time I watch a buzzing bee land gracefully on a flower, I feel content that I have cultivated a space where these creatures can feel safe. Every time I slowly watch a flower bloom, I feel like I’m bringing beauty to the tenants who live in the building next to my garden. Each fruit I pick, ripe off the vine, I rejoice in the act of creation.

However, it wasn’t just me who created this beautiful space. Of course, Elyse Yerrapathruni from Rolling Harvest really helped kick off our season by donating extra transplants, but so many other people also helped me on my journey. Brian Marcy, who runs the Doylestown pantry, and his wife Alice, have both been invaluable to me. They have acted as my sounding board for whacky ideas and given me the guidance needed to go forward. Every volunteer has also helped, giving me advice along the way. They gave me ideas for my weekly newsletter and even pointed out new places to get mulch.

I have volunteers and residents who come up to me regularly now, gushing at how beautiful it all looks. Just the other day, a woman came up to me while I was planting flowers. She said, “it’s hard not to be excited about the garden when it just looks so beautiful!”

And I completely agree.

It’s thanks to the support of everyone reading this article that the garden was able to truly flourish this summer. Your involvement made this season possible. It was your generous donations, personally donated time, or simply reading this blog that gave meaning to this entire experience. So, thank you. Truly.

Written by Zoey Speaker