“The groundswell now,’’ she added, “is that there’s another choice…There are so many different ways to eat, to grow things, that all of a sudden people realize that they can choose what to do and the power of that choice has a great impact.”
“It starts with one person who says, “I’m going to do a garden this year (or) I’m going to go to my farmer’s market this year once a month…All of those small things add up.”
Small things add up quickly in a community garden, where volunteers reinforce each other’s plans, exchange gardening secrets, trade cucumbers for carrots, share extra tomatoes and organize potlucks.
By the time participants have shared seeds, techniques, recipes and garden methods, the potlucks they produce are “good eating,” chuckles Chris Brockel, the food and garden coordinator for the non-profit Community Action Coalition running Madison’s gardens. The combined enthusiasm and skills of the slow food activists and gardeners from other cultures, like the Southeast Asian Hmong and Central American Latinos, are strengthening community bonds and creating a vibrant movement, he says: “It’s growing here. The whole local food, sustainability movement really catches hold here in Madison.”
Ultimately, the backbone of each community garden is its membership.
Some take pride in supplanting expensive trips to the grocery with tastier product at a better price — saving as much as $800 for produce over a summer season, according to informal studies in Madison. Others gravitate toward gardening for earthier reasons.
Crift Crawford, a 78-year-old retiree who has been gardening in community gardens in Boulder for 15 years, says he did not get into the practice to economize, so much as to grow the selection of foods he wanted. His homegrown veggie list includes beets, onions, beans, corn, lettuce, chard and a Middle Eastern vegetable called Cousa, which is like a zucchini, but very pale and tender. So big is his bounty that he often shares vegetables with neighbors.
He’s also sure to plant a row of zinnias, or something similar, every year, so he can take flowers home to his wife, he says, explaining that the attraction of communal gardening has dimensions that go beyond the edible yield. He made friends of all ages at the Hawthorn Gardens, where he has shares tillers and stories with other gardeners.
“I like to get my hands in the dirt,” he says. “I found it was a good way to spend my time, and I (have) just enjoyed being part of nature and seeing things grow.”
More from Green Right Now
For information on how to start a community garden, see the detailed guide Starting A Community Garden on the American Community Gardening Association website.
Copyright © 2008 | Distributed by Noofangle Media
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