Community Gardens
Get involved and reap the rewards with community gardening.
Local food offers benefits aplenty. Fresh, in-season fruits and veggies that travel only a few miles to reach your plate are healthy for your body, your budget, and the environment. There are many ways to get involved in the local food movement, such as growing your own edible plants, purchasing organic produce at the farmers market, and dining at restaurants that source local growers. Community gardens are another great way to support local food while getting involved in the community. Just as it sounds, a community garden is a shared space where residents tend a garden that includes edibles such as fruits, vegetables, and herbs. In some cases, groups or individuals rent a plot for a nominal fee, while in others, the garden is completely collaborative.
The benefits of community gardens are numerous, says Chrissy Cannon, a naturalist who spearheaded a community garden in partnership with her church in the Tawas, Michigan, area. “We’re growing free and healthy food,” Chrissy says, “and we’re also getting people outside, supporting the local eating initiative, and benefiting the environment.”
Community gardens may be affiliated with a school or church or simply be a neighborhood project. The bounty generally is shared among participants, donated to charity, or sold to benefit those in need. Many organizations augment the gardening with educational programs to teach residents about sustainable farming, organic gardening, and nutrition.
Paul Hoffman, co-coordinator of the community garden program for Jones Valley Urban Farm in Birmingham, Alabama, notes that the advantages go beyond food. “People have made a lot of friends,” he says. “A community garden becomes a community of gardeners. You’re helping your neighbors.”
START A GARDEN
More and more community gardens are cropping up around the country. Your community could be next! Both Paul and Chrissy are spreading the joy of community gardens by developing satellite gardens or education programs. Consider their tips for starting your own.
1. RESEARCH “Go online and search for a garden in your community to see if you already have one,” Paul says. If not, talk to nearby community garden organizers about forming a satellite garden or replicating their successful program in your community.
2. ORGANIZE “Appoint a central organizer and mobilize the volunteers,” advises Chrissy. Delegate specific people to research local requirements, including insurance, and seek out potential land and resources.
3. COMMUNICATE Get to know your city council and neighborhood association members. “Sometimes you can even find idle city land perfect for a garden,” Paul says. Council members assisted Jones Valley Urban Farm’s program by supplying water hookup and finding businesses to donate tools, while the neighborhood association funded a picnic gazebo.
4. JOIN FORCES Look for potential church, school, or neighborhood groups to form a partnership.
5. SEEK OUT SPONSORS Cannon notes that their Tawas-area garden has received donations of water, fencing, and money from various sponsors. An out-of-business gypsum plant even donated their unneeded conveyer belts, which the organizers repurposed as garden pathways.
6. MAKE IT ACCESSIBLE The Tawas-area garden incorporates raised troughs to ensure the gardening plots are accessible for residents in wheelchairs or those with difficulty bending.
7. PUT IT ON PAPER Write down the plans for the garden, and discuss them as a group. You’ll want to cover such topics as the garden’s general purpose, division of labor, dues, and the crops to be grown.
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Jones Valley Urban Farm in Birmingham, Alabama, has founded two thriving community gardens. The farm also offers educational classes on such topics as organic gardening. Filled with different colors and textures, this salad mix—composed of several types of lettuce and greens—is a quick and delicious meal option.
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An attractive addition to the garden, purple cabbage is easy to grow and extremely healthful.
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An attractive addition to the garden, purple cabbage is easy to grow and extremely healthful.
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The deck behind the garden is used for dinners, meetings, and training
sessions. The metal cistern collects rainwater from the roof, which is
then used for irrigation.
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Purple and white pansies add a pop of color. Many residents mix flowers and vegetables in their plots.
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Sweet and delicious, strawberries are one of the easiest crops to grow. Each plant will yield approximately 1 quart of berries.
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Flats of tomato seedlings await planting. This popular fruit requires plenty of room and plenty of sunshine to thrive.
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Sharyn Gable, who tends a plot in the community garden near her home, transplants her crop of sweet basil.
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