Community gardens

Community gardens are pretty scarce, so it’s possible that you have never been in one. But if you like the idea, it should be easy to find them, just search online the keywords “community garden” and “your city. The gardeners who want to be found have surely left a trace in the Internet. Most of the European cities should have such a place, and their number is growing bigger each year! Then, come to the Garden in your free time or ask the gardeners (they have probably left contacts online) when is the next opportunity to meet them in the Garden. Most probably, they are most probably welcoming and friendly people, who will be happy to see you paying a visit, and even happier to receive some help, even for an hour. After all, they have committed their time and energy to bringing the Garden alive, they want to see that somebody shares their dream.

What are their functions? According to the 3 years experience of Nausika Foundation in cultivating the Salwator Community Garden in Kraków: PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH Involvement in your own gardening initiative gives you additional motivation to spend more time outdoors.Gardening helps to appreciate priceless resources such as free time, knowledge of plants and willingness to work together. FOOD PRODUCTION Sometimes you collect some crops, which are always delicious regardless of the quantity.Seeds can be used freely and shared between the gardeners, which raises the food sustainability and independence from the corporate-based seed regulations. SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT Grassroot revitalization of urban areas is an alternative to mindless private and municipal investments which usually end in distributing concrete over green areas, either vertically or horizontally.City garden is a place which can reuse and upcycle wood, stones, litter, chips and other valuable materials that constitute problematic waste in a large city.You can’t buy anything in the city garden, which saves you the expenses that you would probably incur while spending your free time in other parts of the city. EDUCATION City garden increases its social potential by providing space for educational events, for which it is an attractive, safe and easily accessible environment.If connected with a public school, a community garden makes a fruitful and low-cost enrichment to the school’s infrastructure.Every urban garden should be considered as a playground for adults, in which they play together and develop important social competences, such as: cooperation, negotiation, compromise, leadership, empathy, responsibility. SOCIAL LABORATORY Urban gardening combines traditions and plants from different parts of the world (multiculturalism translates into biodiversity).City garden is a meeting point for people of various origins and wealth, who would otherwise not find each other in the hierarchical space of the city.It’s a chance to re-open trust relations between residents and municipality.It’s an experiment aimed to find a “third option” between the unfortunate dichotomy of the Public and the Private, which has to be overcome in the face of the upcoming climate catastrophe and other global challenges.

If you are full of energy to take charge of a plot of land in the city and create a local community around it, then you need nothing more to open your own community garden! There are a few steps to take, but you can learn them all as you go along: Find partners If you already have a group of friends or partners to start a garden with, that's great. If not, now is a great excuse to find them! Ask friends, look around for local NGOs that could support you. Look on social media, maybe there is a social gardening meeting in your city where you can meet like-minded people. FIND YOUR DEPARTMENT Do a little research, find the department of your local government that deals with urban regeneration and social gardening. Many cities have programmes to support community gardens. In most cases you will need legal permission from them. FIND A PLOT The biggest challenge and opportunity is to find a suitable plot of land that: is or can become beautiful and aesthetically rewards you for caring for it is accessible for you and other gardeners to visit easily and often is legally available to start a community garden You can research the city yourself or start by asking your local municipality, but in any case take your time and don't rush your choice. SIGN A CONTRACT Most community gardens are based on a written contract between the landowner and the citizens. It may sound a bit bureaucratic and drain some of your energy, but in the long run it will secure your dream project. Be careful, read contracts and protect your rights. Make sure the contract is for an indefinite period. It would also be beneficial if the owner commits to support you, either with a small amount of money or at least with tools and resources. When the formalities are completed, you can finally get down to business. Start gardening. Clear the bushes, plant new seedlings, till the soil - do what gardeners do, now you're one of them!

A community garden is both a dream and a challenge. There are different challenges at different levels, mostly social rather than agricultural. Here are some tips on how to sustain a garden and its community, collected by leaders and members of different community gardens in Krakow:first line druhyriadok KEEP CALM AND... When you come to the garden, relax. When you organise an event there, ensure a relaxed atmosphere. After all, no one is being paid to come here, so it has to be pleasant, otherwise people will stop coming. ADOPT A REALISTIC PLAN Be careful, we have a natural tendency to start out too optimistic. If you plan too many things you want to get done in one year, you may end up frustrated. Be judicious, take small steps, remember this is your time in nature, not a competition. BEGIN WITH WATER RESOURCES A garden needs a design plan and the first factor to consider is water. Is there access to the city water system? If not, is there a way to connect to it? Is there a possibility that the local municipality or fire department will provide large containers of water several times a year? Can you arrange for a system to collect more rainwater? You will need a lot of water for your plants, especially in times of climate change. Don't grow more plants than you can water during the summer. Think about species, such as fruit trees and shrubs, that will last longer on their own. Get to know your neighbours When you see your neighbours, say hello, engage in conversation. The city is their space too. You need their support, or at least their approval, to maintain your garden. Seek out local NGOs and cultural institutions too, especially those working locally for the benefit of the neighbourhood. They may be interested in collaborating. Find as many local authorities in the neighbourhood as you can - they may support you materially as you make the neighbourhood a more beautiful place. MIND ON SOCIAL MEDIA Developing a community needs appropriate communication channels. Think about creating a fanpage or account to share photos and diaries from your garden. A community garden is a beautiful topic and people would love to see some relationships that show the plants growing in their city. If you're not a social media person, for once, leave some footprints and connections online so other like-minded people can find you and join the Garden.PROTECT YOUR GARDEN Think about the safety of your Garden when you're not there. Some gardens have fences around them, some can be entered by anyone 24/7. If you don't have a fence, consider printing or drawing messages telling visitors to respect your space. You can write down rules for behaviour in your garden. Providing an open litter bin could help visitors to leave litter in one place. Putting up an online camera can be a wise investment, if only to show that someone is watching, even if you're not actually checking on them. COMMUNITY GARDEN MANAGEMENT A community garden is not a formal structure, it is looked after by people who don't do it for a job. Each group of gardeners has a different dynamic, but usually there is one leader or a small group of leaders who pull the energy up and motivate others to carry on with the idea. Their role is crucial, but they need support. If you are the leader, take charge and remember that you are doing valuable things. If you see a leader, show appreciation for their volunteer work, say "thank you" more than once a year, don't criticize them for small mistakes, and help out in the garden within your time constraints.ORGANIZE EVENTS A community garden is a great place not only for gardeners, but also for local people who would like to come together in a meaningful and green place in their town. Organise events for them or invite them to hold their own events in your garden. Picnics, mini art festivals, yoga workshops, painting classes, bonfire nights, school trips, eco-courses, activist meetings, etc. Your place is valuable to them, they can join you or support you in mutual exchange. MAINTAIN PLANTS After you have maintained your community and become a skilled social leader, you can finally think about the plants in your garden. Use good quality seeds. Adapt species to the local environment. Enrich the soil, prune the branches. Learn and exchange knowledge about them. MAKE SEEDS Last but not least, collect seeds from your garden. They are, after all, the material results of your valuable work. Give them to your family as gifts for birthdays and Christmas - they are the fruits of labour that are worth more than goods on the market. Meet other gardeners and exchange seeds, so cultivate friendships and protect the diversity of plant species.