Benefits of the Community Garden

I may be a bit biased when it comes to the benefits of a community garden but I would like to share some of the ones I’ve learnt along the way as well:

Although we had a very short growing season most of the gardeners ended up with lots of goodies to take home to eat. In my little garden plot I ended up with over 150 potatoes to eat throughout the year! Growing veggies closer to home decreases the ‘food miles’ that they will travel in order to get to the grocery store. For example some fruits can come as far as New Zealand (almost 14000 kms). That’s a lot of food miles! Not only are we reducing food miles we are helping to reduce the carbon footprint of our food production.

Since the community garden is organic only there was a reduction in the amount of pesticides on the food there and therefore will be a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions.

Many ‘fresh’ fruits and vegetables are grown in monocrops which deplete the earth from their natural resources (vitamins and minerals from the soil). Most people grew at least 5 different types of vegetables within their 4 by 8 plot. This helps keep the soil balanced in the soil.

The community garden also provide a natural environment that was also socially sustainable. It became a place where garden members could connect with their environment, other members, and ensure a safe place for children to learn about growing crops from seeds.