Before you get started creating a new community garden it is important to take the time and think about why you are interested in the project. How is a community garden going to affect you, your community and its members? Gardens have many obvious benefits, but they also have an elusive quality that differs slightly from garden to garden. I think that perhaps, this quality comes from the creation of a new space, which inevitably changes the way we see ourselves, our relationships and roles, and the interaction of all of these things. So what are some of the benefits of community gardens?
One of the most immediate benefits of a new community garden is changing an underused or neglected space into something well-tended and beautiful. A vacant lot or patch of lawn can be converted into a wild and rambling garden, full of food and medicine. This simple shift from walking by a gravel yard to seeing spring blossoms can change a lot in our lives. There are few things as assuring and inspiring as a garden in bloom.
Building a community garden is a great opportunity for folks to come together to talk about and create their ideal neighborhood. It is an empowering experience to build what you wish to see, and doing this collectively only strengthens that experience. Once the garden is built, this sense of community will only grow. Gardening is an activity that is inherently unifying, allowing folks from different backgrounds to come together and build new relationships.
Community gardens provide residents with the land and support they need to grow their own food. There are a wide range of obstacles folks face when trying to garden or access good food: some people do not have access to land to garden, others lack the support or skills needed to start their own garden. A community garden can help to address these issues and provides community members with access to fresh, local, organic produce.
This access helps to increase our collective food security, offering good food to individuals who might not otherwise be able to afford it or know where to find it. Gardens also increase our level of collective health and wellness, not only due to better nutrition and physical exercise but also due to the mental and emotional benefits of having strong relationships to those around us and to our place within the world. It is a powerful experience to plant a seed and nurture it so that it can provide us with sustenance, and one that can change our perspective on many other things.
Often the creation of a new community garden also means the creation of new public spaces. Having accessible and beautiful public spaces is integral to any strong community or neighborhood. We need places to meet, to build good relations, to organize, or just to sit outside and have some tea. Gardens become public when they are run collectively - they are spaces devoted to food production and knowledge sharing, but inevitably become places to sit and socialize and enjoy ourselves, not only for the gardeners but also for anyone passing by.