Gardening is not just a pursuit for those who are lucky enough to have a garden. In recent years, there has been a proliferation of community gardening schemes which allow for co-operation, learning and resilience building in a wide range of ways for those who live in a particular area. 

As keen gardeners will already know, gardening can give us a lot. It can not only provide us with food and other tangible yields but also intangible yields – such as joy, contentment, satisfaction, skills and knowledge, and a deeper sense of connection to the natural world around us. 

Community gardening schemes might already exist in your area. But even if they do not, it is often more possible than you might imagine to take things into your own hands. 

Whether or not you currently have your own garden, one of these community gardening ideas might inspire you to enhance your community, and the lives of those who live in it:

Garden Sharing

Without even seeking out additional land to tend, a community might form collaborative solutions for gardening, ecosystem restoration and food production through garden sharing. 

Not everyone with a garden has the time to tend it, or make the most of the space. But, of course, there are often others desperate for space where they can grow some food and other resources. By simply bringing these two types of people together within a community, we can bring benefits to all. 

Even when people do tend their own gardens, there is still often space for collaboration within a community. Gardeners can set up communal growing schemes, seed shares and more, even creating productive ecosystems that span more than one front or back yard.

Allotments

On municipal land or brown field sites, allotments are one form of community gardening space that can be created. 

On allotments, different gardeners can come together, each tending their own separate patches, but perhaps sharing tools, resources, seeds etc. and working together in fun and enriching ways.

Community Gardens

Community gardens, however, don't have to have separate spaces for different gardeners. They can be communal, public spaces where everyone living in an area can come together to learn and grow. 

Public community gardens can take many forms. They can be areas with annual production beds, filled with fruits, vegetables, herbs and annual flowers. They can be recreational gardens, filled with beautiful beds, perhaps with 'edimental' planting. They can be stunning food forests, or rewilded areas where wildlife is allowed to thrive.

School/ Church/ Hospital Gardens Etc..

Currently disused spaces and public parks are not the only places where community gardens might be created. 

The grounds of schools, churches, hospitals or many other community buildings might also become beautiful and abundant garden spaces. Boring and under-used areas can often be turned into a space that is of immense practical and therapeutic benefit.

Urban Farms

Communities, with a little imagination, can even go beyond the creation of small urban gardens, to create fully fledged urban farms. Urban farms not only provide communities with a space to grow and tend together, but can also go a long way to combatting food insecurities, and making a community a better, greener place to live.

Remember, often, all that is required to create a community garden is the will to make it happen. When people come together, there is no end to the amazing things we can achieve. But it all takes one person to take the first step. So, if no one is doing anything in your area, perhaps you could be the one to get such a scheme off the ground.