Community
gardens share many common purposes, but achieve these using diverse
approaches. At the Dig-In, I learned about three gardens that combine
the best features of the two most common types of community gardens,
plot garden and cooperative garden. In this way, they are building
community while providing harvest for both gardeners and for those with
limited food access.
The availability of individual plots is attractive to some gardeners,
allowing diversity of methods, crops and working hours. The gardeners
share methods, harvest and participate in group activities. Communal
plots provide an important option for those who don’t want the
responsibility of their own plots and/or want to garden alongside
others. Both strategies can provide harvest for the needy.
One of these hybrid gardens, the community garden of Asbury United
Methodist Church has many features in common with Koinonia Garden. It is
located on church property, which impacts appearance requirements and
working hours. It is entirely volunteer run. Similar to Koinonia, their
gardeners receive produce, but from their individual plots. In contrast
to Koinonia, they harvest their donated produce from both the individual
plots (50% of harvest) and 100% of common plots.
This garden began in 2011 with 37 5' x 20' raised beds constructed at
the site of a former baseball field; all plots were leased the first
year. The next year, they built additional raised beds (due to demand;
there is a waiting list for beds) and communal beds. So the Asbury
garden became a hybrid garden of both individual and common garden beds.
The yearly lease contract requires that gardeners donate 50% of
harvest, meet appearance requirements and provide their own seed,
supplements, compost, etc. The leasing fee ($25/plot) pays the water
bill. Those leasing individual beds participate, with other volunteers,
in garden workdays and harvest teams. These teams gather harvest for
the needy twice weekly.
-- Kris Weigle
Relevant links:
Dig-In presentations
Asbury Community Garden
Hope Community Garden
Camden Street Garden
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