Attributes of a community garden (or organisation)
Describing the attributes you want in a community garden is tough. It’s like the chicken/egg scenario. Yes it's a bit of a challenge describing what you want versus what your community want. And I acknowledge that community gardens are the embodiment of and reflection of the community (and state/country) in which they are based. A vibrant connected and fully supported community is likely to have a community garden which reflects them. And community gardens are as diverse as the communities they are in.
Plus, community gardens have a huge weight and expectation on their shoulders. They are portrayed variously in the media as saving the world, mitigating climate change, solving resource depletion, recycling or repurposing or fixing stuff, do good things like running a community worm farm, improving everyone's mental health, reducing obesity and non-communicable diseases, improving the overall nutrition of the community, supplying free food, getting the community physically active, inspiring young people to get into gardening, and providing a space for social connection and general drop in centre and emotional support for its members, running workshops on life skills, oh, and also meeting the KPI’s of the local councils sustainability, sport and recreation, community health, older persons and children's centre's.
Chuck into the group dynamics people with changing cognitive, physical and mental capacity and it’s no wonder some gardens just don’t get off the ground.
Let’s turn around this depressing weight that has descended on your shoulders. What if we start by calling the garden and the organization Garden Fun Centres?
And make the motto “It’s your personal responsibility to have fun in the garden”. Bring fun and joy to this space. Grow fun first. Fun attracts people. Germinate fun. Harvest laughter. Grow the gift of happiness. You get the vibe.
So what’s your idea of fun in a community garden space?
Lets start by exploring the reasons I joined the community garden. Your reasons may be different and that’s Okay.
I like learning and I like a challenge (growing food in small 6X3m beds on a compacted clay base surrounded by road base sets the scene of the challenge). Being a chef and an ex-Cafe owner I’m also a little obsessed with food - cooking it, preserving it, pickling it, drying it. My little growing space on our 700sqm house block just didn’t have the access to sun that was needed to feed my obsession.
I like being creative - keep in mind when you look at my garden that Beauty is in the eye of the Beholder. You may see a mess and lots of work. I see plants going to seed that I can seed-save, weeds that will be composted to provide organic matter, beds resting full of manure gathered from various sources, volunteer seedlings transplanted from the pathway, experiments in growing maize, chickpeas or wild fennel. I see abundance, with as little work as possible. I see building soil for future harvests.
I like talking about my garden, and taking pride in showing people what I am doing, to answer their questions and to inspire them to get active in their garden, or come join ours. I like to listen to people and hear their stories, to share food together, to share recipes and ideas. To scheme future garden projects, to build things with the resources we have, and for it to be good enough as it is. And I am interested in permaculture, and what permaculture may look like in a community garden setting. And to find my people.
I like finding free resources and putting them to work in the garden - Staw left over from the local agricultural show, manure from the local saleyards, grass clippings from a mowing business, equipment from a downsizer or a retiree, tubs and stakes from a commercial nursery. This is fun to me.
Creativity, previous experience and accessing free resources have coalesced in my role as treasurer at the garden. We’ve been exploring grant funding over the last 3 years and you’d think they were a free resource too? But trust me they come with many hidden strings attached.
You’ve probably guessed by now that I also like to compost (my five compost bays, two leaf molds and a worm farm at home, and a compost at work, are just a start). You see green waste for scraps - I see compost materials. Compost is the ultimate representation of how gardening fits into the triangle of sustainability, gardening and health/physical activity. Running a compost (or 3) keeps you fit, reduces waste, builds soil and makes you feel good. To use some words of Carol Sandford - I would say that composting “evolves the capacity” of the environment, the community and you. Win Win.
This is what brings me joy and what I consider fun. It may not be your ideal but I am not out to please you - sorry, not sorry. You are responsible for you. If our fun-lines just happen to cross, all the better. If not, we can admire each other for pursuing our garden pleasures, our organic epicureanism and our journey towards frugal hedonism.
I also like systems that work, that are effective and quick. I hate bureaucracy. I’ve made it my business to look at what community gardens thrive and why. Individual plots and allotments work for the right people/community. Cooperative gardens work, social enterprises work (or for-purpose organisations). Connection to a neighborhood house works. A group of food literate food culture people works. A planned structure for cooperative success at scale works. And respect and valuing the produce that’s grown and the skills of the farmers growing the food is an underlying expectation - just doing good or arresting the disorder is not enough for sustained community gardening success.
Although there needs to be food at it’s core - People should be able to engage where they are at - food swaps, seed saving, tool libraries, community olive harvests, pot luck lunches or dinners, garden tours, open gardens, chicken wranglers, worm farm rosters, composting addicts, rose pruners, diggers anonymous or the carrot (catering) committee. Read about more of the food connected garden activities in Community Gardens Australia 2021-22 survey.
Deep connection with a government or social organization that understands and supports the safety, accessibility, inclusivity, health and food sovereignty of the people it is caring for is paramount. As is a direct connection with allied, community and general health organizations and practitioners that understand the benefits to the community of having a thriving and vibrant local food growing culture and the positive impact this has on the health system, the education system, the local economy and the environment.
Now if you think I am making some of these attributes up then head over to Naomi Lacey’s Churchill Scholarship page to see what she found when she headed around the world meeting and listening to community gardeners and the organizations (35 in all!) that support community gardeners.
Finding your community garden people is more important than defining the attributes of a community garden. So by all means make your attribute list, create a vision and a masterplan and map out a path using something like Organising - People, Power, Change. In the words of Margaret Mead… “Never underestimate the power of a small group of committed people to change the world.”. So find 3 or 4 friends that have a similar passion to you around food and connect with your local community garden and let’s see what you can achieve at your Garden Fun Centres!
- a clear vision and purpose (Yes fun needs to be in here!)
- good governance and simple processes
- people skilled in community organisation to attract and retain members
- digital savvy members
- ability to access the resources you require to get the power you need to get the change you want.
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