How to
A community garden can help transform people who happen to live
in the same place into a united community. It celebrates diversity in
individual plots while creating opportunities for people to work together
and learn from each other — about gardening, food preparation, and
more. They learn to respect each others' differences and to appreciate
what they have in common. Community gardens build relationships that
last beyond the growing season.
In addition, community gardens lead
to a more livable environment, creating
beauty and reducing crime (Hynes, 1996;
Warner and Hansi, 1987), increasing home
values (Been and Voicu, 2006), and improving
the image of the community (Been and Voicu,
2006). The skills learned in developing the
garden can be used to gain access to public
policy and economic resources, which can
then help address critical problems such
as crime, homelessness, and urban blight.
(Armstrong, 2000)
Benefits of Community Gardens
In addition to providing fresh fruits and
vege tallies, a garden can also be a tool for
promoting physical and emotional health,
connecting with nature, teaching life skills,
and promoting financial security.
Health: Community gardens provide a place
to grow healthy, nutritious food resulting
in both gardeners and their families eating
a wider variety, larger quantity (Alaimo,
Packnett, Miles, and Kruger, 2008), and
higher quality of fresh fruits and vegetables.
In addition, gardeners irrcrease their physical
activity and overall health. (Wakefield, Yeudall,
Reynolds and Skinner, 2007)
Robert Rominger and John Moskop at the
Goler Community Garden in Winston-Salem.
Tended by employees from the Downtown
Health Plaza, the Forsyth County Health Dept.
plants, birds, butterflies, and nature. Lessons
learned in the community garden about water
conservation, water quality preservation,
environmental stewardship, and sustainable
land use may be taken back to homes,
businesses, and schools and implemented,
improving environmental health.
Life Skills: In addition to a wealth of
basic horticulture information, gardeners
learn important life skills such as planning,
organization, and teamwork.
Nature: For many urban dwellers surrounded
by high-rise buildings and concrete, a community
garden may provide their only contact with
Stale University
A&T State University
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Empowering People ■ Providing Solutions
