Get digging with the neighbours and watch your garden grow

Join the green revolution and plant the seeds for a happier, healthier community

Shot of a smiling couple with their little girl working in their organic garden

Join the green revolution and plant the seeds for a happier, healthier community

Community gardens have a unique way of bringing people together. There is something truly special about the shared experience of getting out the gardening tools, planting seedlings in the sunshine, tending to them, watching them grow and sharing a bountiful harvest. Then there is the support, encouragement and collaborative detective work that comes when a crop fails to take off or the local wildlife decide to come for dinner.

Michelle Burkett, community engagement coordinator at Communify Qld, has seen first-hand the far-reaching benefits of the organisation’s two community gardens in Brisbane. Their first, Green Corner, was established in 1995 on a small parcel of land leased on the corner of a busy intersection at Ashgrove, in Brisbane’s inner-west.

“It was a community development project about bringing local people together to share in community gardening, but really the purpose was to reduce social isolation and create community,” Ms Burkett says.

These days, Green Corner has about 30 members, some who run their own plots and others who plant fruits and vegetables in shared garden beds. Over the years it has offered workshops on a variety of gardening topics such as making compost and raising seedlings, helping people to connect with others in the local area while doing something fun and productive. The same thing has been happening at their second community garden at Kundu Park in Kelvin Grove since 2010.

“I think increasingly people are living in isolation and it’s an opportunity for people to come together, grow friendships and to experience the joy of growing edible plants,” Michelle says.

Paul Burton, director of the Cities Research Institute at Griffith University, says although in the past and in many places community gardens were born out of local residents not having enough space of their own to grow plants, these days people are jumping on board for social and environmental reasons.

“Even when we do have enough space, we might not want to garden alone but prefer to do it in the company of others,” he says. “By providing an opportunity for people to come together, grow and learn to grow fruit and vegetables and to care for a place in their neighbourhood, we provide the foundations for community development.”

The secret to their success, aside from a nice sunny position and good soil, is a welcoming environment. “It’s the members that come together, welcome new members and show them around - that’s what creates the success,” Michelle says.

A few green thumbs amongst the group doesn’t hurt either. “One of the most important factors contributing to the success of any community garden is the involvement of people with some gardening expertise, including the knowledge of what grows best in that particular location and what to grow in each season. Otherwise the best things to grow are those that meet your needs, whether that is to feed yourselves or to produce cash crops.  Even if it’s suited to the area, wheat is probably not a sensible option,” Paul says.

Interest and awareness around community gardens has grown over the years. “I think there is more interest now. These days people are very interested in recycling, in growing their own vegetables, in shopping locally and all of these things are supported by the gardens and participation in the gardens,” Michelle says.

They also contribute to creating a strong sense of community spirit. “Community gardens are a really important part of every local community… They’re an opportunity for people to come together and get their hands dirty,” Michelle says.

At Villa World’s master-planned communities, the importance of community gardens in helping to create positive opportunities for community interaction and engagement has been recognised.

Villa World development director Peter Johnson, says it is all about going the extra mile to create vibrant and healthy neighbourhoods.

“Communal gardens are a prime example of where residents can come together and plant and harvest their own produce,” Mr Johnson says.

“It really is the epitome of community spirit. This was something that was typically delivered in body corporate communities, however Villa World has worked with councils to deliver these communal gardens in subdivisions and has shown the true fruits to the community.”

Beautiful community gardens rich with fertile soil, fruits and vegetables grown and cared for by the locals can be found at The Meadows at Strathpine, Covella at Greenbank and Seascape in Redland Bay.

“Health and wellness is at the forefront of lifestyle considerations these days. People are increasingly aware of the food they consume and there is definitely more of us who aspire to become more active in our day to day lives,” Mr Johnson says.

Villa World’s entire team, which includes town planners and landscape architects, engage in the masterplanning phase at the beginning of each project. The community gardens at Seascape sit within a multitude of resort-style recreational facilities including a park, rich landscaping, a swimming pool, clubhouse and barbeque facilities.

Villa World draws inspiration from the existing topography and local amenity of each project to enhance the experience of the natural environment. At Covella at Greenbank, the existing riparian corridors present opportunities to engage residents with the natural surroundings by way of the community gardens, parks, fitness stations, picnic shelters, basketball hoops, bikeways and boardwalks.

Meanwhile, The Meadows has been designed to support active and healthy lifestyles with its extensive parkland recreation facilities. Community gardens full of fruit and vegetables are on offer for residents to enjoy and to inspire future generations to foster urban agriculture.

Whether your suburb is old or new, community gardens are here to stay.

Originally published as Get digging with the neighbours and watch your garden grow