The community garden adventure has begun, complete with land, volunteers, and seeds. Yet, you realize everything is not how you imagined it would be.
You have answered the question of: Is there a community garden near me? Consequently, you could write a book on how to start a community garden in Chicago (or wherever your city/town is). You:
- got Alderman/ city approval to access land or purchased it yourself
- recruited neighbors
- got assistance/donations for materials
- joined a community garden association
“Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.”
-Henry ford
Top Community Garden Pros and Cons
What makes a community garden? You and your neighbors (fellow students in a school, employees at a company, adults and/or children, a local church, or senior/ youth center, and more) coming together to plant and grow food in a public or private space. Let’s look at a list to consider what aspects of community gardening you may now realize make it differ from personal gardening.
Pros
1. You like working as a team.
2. You stick to traditional gardening.
3. You can focus on your specialty.
4. You like a scheduled garden day.
5. You want your very own box.
6. You can do less, but get a bountiful harvest.
7. You can build great friendships.
Cons
- You like gardening solo.
- You like to experiment with gardening techniques.
- You want to specialize in everything.
- You do not want to be on someones’s garden schedule.
- You only get a box to call your own.
- You may not connect with fellow gardeners.
The benefits of a community garden can outweigh the downside of the project. Working in a team can be great if you only like to plant vegetables, but someone else likes to focus on flowers. Is beekeeping your thing? Well, maybe another gardener prefers making a jam out of the berries that are picked and wants nothing to do with bees. You can each focus on what you enjoy, but still receive a portion of whatever is harvested.
Your first year you may realize an assigned box works for exploring gardening techniques but doesn’t actually allow you to learn as much from others if you are a beginner. However, in your seasoned garden years (after you’ve learned so much more) you may prefer a more personal garden experience.
Your networking through gardening can be a win or a loss.
