Sarah Miller
Community gardens are open places where people can grow and harvest fresh produce. They provide community members somewhere they can meet and socialise, learn about gardening, and help grow fruit and vegetables that they can take a share of.
These spaces also act as settings for workshops such as ‘composting’ or ‘worm farms’.
There are many benefits to participating in a community garden, including social benefits, economic benefits, and environmental benefits. Community members can socialise and make new connections, develop a sense of community, and improve wellbeing, including mental health. Community gardens also help reduce food waste and cost, as people grow and harvest their own food rather than buying it. Urban green-scapes such as community gardens also increase the use of organic waste through composting, supports environment sustainability and helps with carbon conversion to oxygen. Gardening can also increase physical activity and improve health.
Community gardens are a shared responsibility of those who interact with it and are arranged in a few different ways. Gardens may be fully communal, where everyone can work with any part of the garden and take a share of what’s grown, or private plots which are the responsibility of the person who cares for it. Community gardens may also combine individual and communal plots. Regardless, anyone is invited to participate in community gardens.
Gardens can be found in a number of urban locations and are run by a variety of groups including councils, schools, community groups and churches. To find existing community gardens have a look at the sites below
https://www.brisbane.qld.gov.au/clean-and-green/green-home-and-community/community-groups/community-gardens-and-city-farms/community-garden-guide
https://greenleafcommunities.org/the-many-benefits-of-community-gardens/
https://www.logan.qld.gov.au/downloads/file/139/community-garden-toolkit