If you’ve wandered through the gardens at 577 this summer, you may have spotted a new feature —a keyhole garden. This eye-catching addition was thoughtfully designed to make the most of our growing space, boost the production of organic food, and offer a fun, visually interesting, and accessible garden for visitors to learn about gardening.
The idea came to life thanks to the creativity of our Properties Team, a generous grant from The Home Depot Foundation, and the elbow grease of several Team Depot volunteers. Installed in May near the Children’s Playscape area within the 577 community gardens, the keyhole garden is now brimming with organic herbs, veggies, and edible flowers that are all beautiful, delicious, and educational.
What exactly is a keyhole garden? Keyhole gardens are named for their shape – from a bird’s-eye view, they resemble an old-fashioned keyhole. Typically, they are circular, raised garden beds supported by stone walls and designed with an entryway that forms an inlet, allowing gardeners to easily access the entire area when harvesting food. They are said to have originated in the 1990s in Lesotho (a small country in southern Africa) but gained popularity in many places with dry climates and infertile soil, and are now found all over the world. Almost any vegetable can be planted in a keyhole garden, but leafy greens and root vegetables tend to be particularly successful in these compact spaces.
Keyhole gardens offer numerous advantages:
- They conserve water.
- They conserve space – plants can be more densely planted than in traditional gardens.
- They are more easily accessible for the elderly, those with physical disabilities, and children.
- They are great educational tools and are being used in schools to teach students about raising their own crops.
Interested in building your own keyhole garden? Stop by 577 to check out our version in person or ask one of our horticulturists where to start! We’d love to show you what we’re growing and how it’s going.
About 577’s Community Garden Program
577 has maintained organic community gardens on its property since 1988. Each year, roughly 60 volunteer gardeners tend their plots using organic methods (without chemical insecticides, herbicides, or synthetic fertilizers). 577 donates approximately 1,500-2,000 pounds of organic produce to local food banks annually through our community garden program, which now includes the new keyhole garden.
As a nonprofit organization with a small staff and limited resources, we rely on the financial and volunteer support of dedicated community partners like The Home Depot Foundation to fulfill our mission.
