Community Gardens: 10% garden, 90% community
Garden City Harvest’s Community Garden Opening Day is just around the corner on Saturday, April 14th. Returning gardeners have staked claims to their plots and new applicants await the results from the garden plot lottery.
As Opening Day draws near, Bobby Wilson’s (President of the American Community Gardening Association) wise words echo in my mind, “Community Gardens are 10% garden and 90% community.”
Gardening alone has its obvious benefits but gardening in community is an entirely different ballgame. Our community gardens connect people together around the common purpose of growing their own food. They bring together people who might not otherwise have reason to meet and they become garden neighbors.
We look at statistics to sketch a picture of Garden City Harvest’s Community Gardens: Seven community gardens offer over 290 garden plots to more than 230 Missoula households. All of our gardens are located in low to moderate income neighborhoods.
Digging a bit deeper now, we find what gives this picture its vibrant colors. Some gardeners partake in their very first harvests. Some are recognized as leaders for the first time. Mothers teach their little ones that fruits and veggies are delicious. Some share their knowledge as garden mentors. Some seek the serenity of the garden to de-stress from a day of work. The list is ongoing.
I’m excited to see how the community gardens shape and mold all of us this season. So as we wait to gather the final tally for returning gardeners, let this quote set the tone for our community gardening experience this season ….10% garden, 90% community …..10% garden, 90% community….. 10% garden, 90% community…
Important Community Garden Deadlines:
- Returning gardeners need to let us know if they plan to return by Saturday, March 31st. Please contact Linda, Community Garden Coordinator
406-239-8236, Lindagardencityharvest.org. If you’ve already contacted your garden coordinator, don’t worry we’ve got you down on our list.
- New gardeners need to submit their applications by Saturday, March 31st. You can fill out an application by visiting our website at gardencityharvest.org.