The Paradox of Community Gardens

When I was living in an apartment with no balcony or outside space to grow anything, I would have jumped at the chance to take on a community garden plot.   I've always been a fan of them.   They provide space to the spaceless, and they break up the suburban/urban landscape with interesting plants to look at.  They are teeming with life.  What's not to love?  I never gave much thought to the "community" aspect of it, though.  And after an experience today, I really wonder whether they do, in fact, breed a sense of community.

I'm thankful that my employer organizes volunteer events.  I managed to snag a spot to volunteer at a community garden about a mile from my house.  It's been around about 10 years and I've visited it a few times for special events like seedlings sales.  In addition to the chance to participate in back breaking labor, we also got an hour long tour of the grounds, detailed descriptions of the various plants being grown and loads of gardening tips.  All of this was great.  But of course, leave it to me to dwell on the one negative thing that was said.

Turns out that a big problem in the garden is rampant theft.   Theft of supplies (tools, wheelbarrows, etc.) and theft of entire crops the people spent months growing.  I can't even imagine how demoralizing that must be for those who spent so much time on those plots.  I also cringe thinking about the situation of the people desperate (or mean?) enough to take someone's entire crop.

Now, I grow plenty of produce in the front yard.  I have noticed a missing tomato or melon now and then, but never had anyone go so far as to clean me out just because it's there.   Perhaps there's more of a fear of being caught trespassing on personal property.  Or maybe there's a fundamental misunderstanding re: what the gardens are there for -- there is a total lack of signs explaining what is going on or what the expectation is.

So, does that garden feel like a "community"?  Or does each gardener eye any passerby with suspicion?  Does that suck all the joy out of gardening?  I know there's got to be economies of scale in community gardens, so I'd really love to see them as a healthy ecosystem.  But I don't have any great ideas without turning them into a police state.  Sigh.  I would, however, like to see city governments get more involved in promoting & expanding the use of such gardens to feed the hungry (or malnourished in the case of food desserts...).

I know this is a luxury of the fortunate to be able to grow food on their own land.  And I treasure it every time I walk into my garden.  For me, I have made an effort to garden with a sense of community.  I love that people stop and look at my plants as they walk down the street, sometimes offering a kind word of encouragement.  I love that I have traded crops with families down the street when we each have an excess of something.  I love that when my friends or family have an excess of a crop, they give me some to enjoy, or I repurpose or preserve it and give it back to them.  For instance, tonight I was the lucky recipient of a bushel of carrots and onions.  We ate some fresh with dinner.  But then I pickled a bunch too and will give most of those pickles back to the original owner -- helping them enjoy their harvest after they had thought they got the last bit of joy out of it.

While it's a lot of fun to share the bounty this way, it would be even more fun if some of my friends got into this whole canning/preserving hobby so we can do it together.  Seriously, people, I'm running out of jars. :)

Milestone: everything on this cutting board was home grown either by me or my friend!