Community gardening is basically gardening in community, common area that is either not much in use or can be spared by the community members to develop the community garden. Usually this involves an abandoned plot an area that has been donated.
This comes in particularly handy in city areas with high-rises, where each individual community member may not have a garden space with proper growing conditions. In all such instances members can easily join in the community gardening efforts. They can join in with their 'Green thumb' neighbors in a mutual effort to create beautiful and sustainable community-space. Some community gardens are developed to be esthetically pleasing where as others are developed to grow healthy foods for the members.
At times, the community members will create preserves from their harvested produce such as jams and pickles. In other instances the members may choose to make sauces and dips that can then be enjoyed by the entire group or be made available to the members at low cost. This further enhances community bonding by mutual sharing of various traditional recipes between their many members.
In addition, community gardening also helps people in areas that usually do not have easy access to fresh or organic produce.
It is a very known fact that gardening helps to bust stress and give a motivational feeling of 'accomplishment'. It is very satisfying to see your efforts take fruit (literally!) and grow in front of your eyes. Because of this community gardening not only provides this stress emolliating experience, but also provides added benefits from feeling a sense of comradeship and support from being part of a greater group. These gardens also offer a place to unwind and get rid of stress. It is a community effort that is open to all ages and people, it helps to bring the community closer.
Sometimes, it does happen where certain members of a community garden do have their own private gardening plots and/or are accomplished produce-growers. Such members bring in valuable gardening and produce-growing knowledge and experience that they can utilize to help lead the community gardening efforts. They can teach the other members, the various methods and techniques involved in sowing, maintaining and harvesting the various fruits and vegetables.
Community gardening can help people to learn various sustainable gardening ideas and lifestyle alternatives. At the same time, it also helps to preserve nature and beautifies our neighborhood. In addition, because organic food can be quite costly, community gardening helps its members to have access to high quality food, which positively impacts their health and wellbeing, at minimal cost. Children that grow up playing at and learning about community gardening are more aware of nutritious foods as well as healthy, sustainable eating and can take their knowledge of sustainable living with them for life.
These gardens also help families to cut back on their food costs by obtaining Green, healthy, organic foods at minimal cost. Because there is less need for grocery shopping (depending on the size of the garden and how much produce can be distributed) this also helps the environment by cutting back on packaging and transportation. These gardens also provide an area to compost, which helps reduce rubbish and improves overall soil quality.
It is said that a community garden has up to five times increased productivity per acre than commercial farming. Given the many benefits of community gardening, it is something that each one of us should definitely look to be part of in some manner. Community gardening is an easy way for each one of us to partake and contribute towards a Green earth!
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Green Living and Life Management
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