A community garden is a great way to share the joy of gardening with others, benefit from socialising and save some money while you’re at it! The idea of a community garden is to have an area that a number of individuals invest in by:
- Designing a garden
- Planting seeds and seedlings
- Weeding and maintaining the garden bed
- Harvesting fruit and vegetables
Variety and Cost Effectiveness
Because more than one person is putting into the garden, a variation of plants is bound to make its way into the gardening area. This can be especially beneficial if the plants are to be fruit and vegetables. Each person can bring something different to the garden while all benefit from it.
In this way, a community garden can be quite cost effective. Often it’s cheaper to buy seeds or seedlings of four or more plants. The result may then be that more food of one type is produced than can be consumed within the time frame that it needs to be utilised.
In this way, when a few people choose to garden together, the food is less likely to go to waste. The more people that put into the garden, the less each person has to contribute to gain variety in the vegetables that are available.
Dividing up the Jobs
Having more that one person contributing to and working on a garden also allows for the garden to be better maintained. Varying work routines may mean that one person is available daily or every other day, to pick ripe fruit and vegetables, remove weeds and spray plants to remove pests. Of course, the days where everyone is able to garden makes this hobby one that can provide the chance to socialise as well!
Locating the Community Garden
There are often places in country towns that will establish a community garden and alongside this, teach people about growing and harvesting fruit and vegetables. This idea can just as easily be set up by a group of friends that live near to each other or people in a gardening group.
The main prerequisite is some land to be able to grow items in. This may be in one of the individual’s front or back yards, or even amongst a group of people that rent in the same block of flats. Perhaps land is lacking. The use of pots, whether on the ground or hanging may help to solve this problem.
Once a location and a few people have been found that feel they would benefit from a community garden, the fun can begin! This hobby will provide a great chance to get out in the sun, socialise and reap the rewards in fresh fruit and veg.
Chris Thomas - C. Thomas has studied and worked with horses since 2001. She teaches horse studies part time and is undertaking an Equine Science ...
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