Community Gardening – Grow as a Community
Sweating it out in the gym gets much easier with a gym partner. Daily office commute becomes more bearable with a travel buddy. Managing household chores becomes much easier with your spouse. In the same way, gardening becomes a lot more fun when you’re not doing it alone!
But what if nobody in your family is too fond of gardening? What do you do then? Do it alone, as always, right?
Well, we hear you, and we’ll soon help you change their minds. Promise. But for now, why not try roping in your friends in your society to start a beautiful gardening project for everyone to swoon over? Why not get together with your neighbors and grow plants as a close-knit dedicated group? That’s exactly what community gardening stands for!
Community gardening makes gardening a team-sport, gets rid of any monotony and makes it more delightful.
Michelle Obama is a flag-bearer of community gardening. During her time as the First Lady of the US, she grew vegetables in the White House garden along with young volunteers. She has inspired millions of Americans to grow their own fresh food, eat healthy meals, and collectively fight against epidemics like child obesity. She believes that eating food that comes straight from one’s garden helps one feel more energetic and improves the overall health of the family.
After all, can one ever vouch for the safety of the fruits and vegetables we buy? Whatsoever these veggies and fruits are marketed as, can we really know how they were actually grown?
Instead, this is what we can do. We can take control of the food we eat by growing it ourselves. This way, we know exactly what went into growing the plant. We can be fully confident that it is healthy and safe for our families and especially, our kids. Also, there is a joy (read relief) of saving on groceries and not having to run to the market countless times. (Yes, that’s possible since nearly 80% of the food we eat can be grown at home!)
Moreover, doing this as a community forges an additional sense of bonding and joy.
How to get started with a community garden?
To begin with, find a few like-minded people within your society. It doesn’t matter if you are all gardening-novices. It will only make the experience more exciting!
“What if nobody wants to join me in this endeavor of community gardening?” Sure, maybe not everyone will be up for it the first time. But you just need to start with a single person (even if that is you) and very soon, people will join the band.
Take our office for instance. We had a terrace garden in our office where we used to plant and harvest some vegetables which we used to then distribute to our Kheti Buddy employees. As time passed by, a number of our employees voluntarily started sowing new seeds and became “plant-parents”. We now have a vibrant community terrace garden in our office.
So, the most important lesson is- just start!
Now, time for some “ground” rules.
Choose the patch of land where you will grow your plants. If you don’t have enough area on the ground, you can always opt for a terrace garden. Just ensure that the terrace-floor is waterproofed to avoid any leakages later. Also, it must have a slight slope so that the water drains off easily.
You can begin with an entire garden-bed or just a couple of potted plants. Don’t worry too much about being successful. Just enjoy the process of doing something together as a community that is not only helping you put ultra-fresh food on the table and experiment with new dishes, but is also helping the environment. Wait. Helping the environment? How?
Community gardens & the environment – It’s a match!
Creating a community garden in your society or locality:
- Improves the soil and air quality,
- Helps the biodiversity in your surroundings flourish,
- Reduces pollution caused by the transportation of produce over long distances,
- Reduce the urban “heat island” effect (the heating up of cities due to replacing soil and plants with concrete).
Moreover, you can go one step further and compost the kitchen waste generated from your society. Add this compost to your garden to replenish the soil and boost the growth of your plants. Win-win for your plants and the environment!
Extra advantages of a community garden
Growing food as a community is special. If you have a good harvest, the joy is multiplied and if you don’t, the slight dismay is divided. Besides, you can grow more food as a community. Even a single community terrace garden can fulfill the needs of multiple households. You can even sell the surplus to the local vegetable markets! Community gardening can bring kids, adults, and senior citizens together and create a warm, welcoming atmosphere. This can be an excellent stress-buster to one’ taxing daily routine.
What if you need help?
Every learning experience where you are your own teacher and cheerleader feels amazing. Still, if you ever need any support while you are on the path of community gardening, Kheti Buddy Home garden planner app is at your assistance. Be it helping you to set up your community terrace garden, or solving your unique garden-issues, your Buddy is here to guide you at all times. Get our help whenever you need it with our garden planner app!
Community gardens create a powerful impact to the lives of the entire community and the surrounding nature. Start your first community garden today!
