Community Gardens Galore!

I love, love the concept of community gardens! You're outside, mingling with your fellow neighbors, working under the sun with sweat on your back. Its such a satisfying feeling of growing a wee little seedling into a delectable dinner salad. And it brings us back to our farming roots and to see how it was done back in the good ole’ days. 

Picture taken from here

As I was brainstorming today (ok, dreaming) about opening up my own community garden and I saw that there are over 600 Chicago area community gardens! I tell my husband this; he wonders aloud why he has never seen one. I think to myself that I haven’t either. And then after some research I learned why many of the Chicago area community gardens are outside of a large pocket in Chicago. Vacant land in this pocket is not cheap; most of it is being sold to future homeowners who want to build their own home. The land may be expensive, but a community garden there could be the most beneficial and reap the largest rewards. 

Are there any Chicago landowners in the Lincoln Park area willing to donate some land space for a community garden? Bueller? 

I’m so excited about community gardens that I rattled off a few things that are great about them:

1) They provide a sense of ownership and responsibility for the people that take care of them.

2) It is a wealth of knowledge. From agriculture/horticulture to biology and ecology! You can even throw in a little vermicomposting bin that will make the kiddies squeal with delight (or disgust).

3) Food! How could we forget this? When I was a grad student at UC Davis, I encountered community gardens everywhere. There were outreach programs where gardens could be planted in lower income areas lacking a regular supply of fresh fruits and vegetables and gardens planted at schools. I saw communal gardens in people’s backyards, even chickens!

4) Its organic! Or at least for the most part depending on how you treat your plants – but that’s just it! It is how YOU treat your plants and you know what you did to them. Keep in mind, there has been recent scrutiny about ‘organic’ produce testing positive for chemicals and pesticides. 

5) They make a great use of space. Voila! Vacant lot into an urban oasis! That’s not an eyesore, but an eyecatcher!

6) It makes you, and possibly even your kids, eat more veggies,. Eating raw veggies help ward of obesity, illnesses, and provides a ton of essential vitamins and minerals that you know your bag of veggie chips won’t give you. Even though they are baked.

These look so appetizing! Picture taken from here

To be honest, I have never been successful with planting anything that sprouted into something that I ate. Nor has any plant of mine ever survived more than a few months without withering away and dying in my hands. I’m pretty positive that if this was the 1850’s and I was living off my land, I would die from hunger. That is why this Saturday I will be joining other Chicago-based gardening enthusiast in a community gardening meeting and hopefully be able to connect with a garden in need of a gardening newbie like me. They have a wonderful Facebook page here.

Some gardening challenges that will be discussed at this meeting are:
1) Water conservation: How will we conserve water in an era of drought and increased water bills?

2) Where can we get mulch, compost and tools?

3) How can we attract young gardeners and keep new gardeners engaged?

4) How can we train the leaders of tomorrow?

5) Can we coordinate neighborhood garden tours so we can all see each other's gardens? 
6) Most importantly, how can we ensure a bounteous future for community gardening in Chicago?

Would love to hear any suggestions so I can contribute!