Community Gardens: Sustainable Agriculture for Sustainable Communities

Community gardens have cropped up everywhere, and by their very existence promote sustainable agriculture and community development. They have taken root in inner city lots and on rooftops, suburban neighborhood corners and rural community centers. Chances are pretty good that there's one in your community, or at least a collection of people who would like to start one. But determining what sort of community garden will best serve the needs of your community is an important first step before diving headlong into gardening. Not all community gardens are cut from the same cloth, although most do  provide fresh local food through sustainable agriculture.

Community gardens can manifest in a surprising number of forms and sizes. If you live in the city, you might join a group of tenants who garden on the roof of your building on a fairly small scale, or you might volunteer at a youth-oriented garden in an abandoned city lot. Community gardens can fill all kinds of purposesm such as a venue for skill-building, community enterprise, individual "kitchen" gardening, a teaching garden, a site to grow food for donation, a space for youth, low income families, "landless" city dwellers, or people who want to connect with others around food and gardening. All of these needs can be met with various community garden models.

An allotment garden is perhaps what people usually think of when they think of a community garden. In this model each member of the garden is allotted a section of the garden or raised bed, often for a small rental price. While there may be communal work days or potlucks, each individual gardener is only responsible for his or her plot and gardens independently.

In a communal garden, the garden tasks are divided up amongst a group of gardeners. Everyone pitches in to buy seeds and maintain the garden. This is sometimes organized so that each person or a small team of people focuses only on one area of the garden, or a few crops, and then everyone shares the entire harvest. In order for this to work well it is usually best to have a small group of very invested gardeners. Some gardens are a mix of both allotted plots and communal areas, which seems to work nicely, especially when the communal area features things like flowers, berries, and herbs. Some community gardens include a teaching garden or demonstration area as well. A teaching garden is a great resource and model for new gardeners interested in sustainable agriculture practices like composting, mulching, companion planting, and pest control.

Neighborhood gardens aren't usually enterprising gardens, but many other community gardens are. A community garden might be started with the intent of giving people space to grow produce for the farmers market or to sell at other venues. It could be a group of recent refugees, at-risk youth learning valuable job skills, or a collective of just about anyone coming together to work a patch of land and make ends meet in the process. Some community gardens are run or organized by non-profits with the intent to address local food security needs by not only providing a space and some education for those who want to grow their own food, but also maintaining space to cultivate food for local food banks or assistance programs.

What are the food and gardening needs or interests in your community or neighborhood? The beauty of a community garden is that it is a patchwork of people and experiences, and can fulfill different needs or desires for its participants, and all centered around growing fresh, sustainable food.

photo credit: grant haynes