Benefits of a Community Garden
Here are some of the more commonly discussed benefits that we hear, including:
- Fresh, pesticide-free produce
- Meeting neighbors
- Connecting children to nature
- Affordably supplementing meals/nutrition
- Adding beauty, inspiration and serenity to the neighbourhood
- Increasing community pride
- Contributing to a healthy ecosystem
- Encouraging local biodiversity
- Improving neighborhood safety and security
- Reducing food transportation distances
- Improving urban air quality
- Filtering noise
- Assisting storm water runoff absorption
- Reducing personal use of the earth’s resources
- Informal knowledge sharing and hands-on learning by doing
- Reducing personal stress
- Participating in outdoor physical activity
- Re-entry activity during rehabilitation
- Opportunities to barter and share seeds, garden care, produce, stories and recipes
- Creating a community hub that welcomes people of all ages, ability or life experience.
As you can see, there are many reasons to start a community garden. The key to a successful garden is understanding what everyone wants to get out of their experience.
