Food and nutrition are important elements in any sustainable community. Fresh vegetables and fruits, healthy air, and a sense of community with those who live, work and go to school around you. One of the best ways to achieve this in a neighborhood is by starting a community garden. A great resource in that process is the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources Community Garden and Master Gardener programs.

Community gardens have a rich history in Southern California and are a great way to help connect with those around you and establish lifelong networks of cooperation and collaboration by providing healthy food and activities. Luckily, there are several resources available to help establish, educate and nourish community gardens in your neighborhood. 

What is a Community Garden?

Community gardens typically serve areas without access to private garden plots or those without adequate space where they live to develop a garden at home. This could include those who live in apartments or rental homes, or those whose living space isn’t suitable to use as a garden.

Defined as any piece of land gardened by a group of people, community gardens are plots of land used by a group of people using individual or shared plots on private or public property with permission. The community garden could produce healthy fruits or vegetables, herbs or flowers, or even ornamental or native plants to benefit the people and community around them.

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Ultimately, a community garden is about the community. In starting a garden for the community, the goal is to bring other like-minded community members together to share in the experience of gardening and encourage others to participate in the activity. Community gardens tend to grow over time as more community members join in and participate—extending the reach and encouraging more people to join in on the activity.

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Types of Community Gardens

There are several different ways to approach starting a community garden in your local area. Gardens tend to take on the local flavor of the area around them through the cultivation of foods and plants of the greatest interest. Some of the different types of gardens you might consider include:

• Neighborhood Gardens: Typically, individual plots on a larger parcel of land in and around the neighborhoods where people live.
• Residential Gardens: Gardens shared among stand-alone houses or apartments and cared for by the residents around them. 
• Institutional Gardens: These types of gardens are extensions of public or private organizations like churches, parks, or other community-connected entities.
• Demonstration Gardens: Ideal for educational and recreation, demonstration gardens function as hands-on classrooms to host workshops, teach gardening techniques, or share ideas in the community. 
• School Gardens: Primarily an extension of their location, school gardens are a unique opportunity to share fresh food and vegetables within academic settings, especially in areas where food deserts may be present.  

Where to Begin a Community Garden?

Starting a Community Garden may seem a challenging task. Where to begin? How to find the space? Or even how to learn how to be a better gardener to teach others. Luckily, the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources office has many resources available to help organizers establish a community garden and grow it into a healthy nourishing oasis of food and productivity in your community. 

The UCANR can provide support in the way of Master Gardeners to help plan, educate and train local community members to start a garden. For those who want to go to the next level in their community, the UCANR offers an annual Master Gardener training course to give that extra boost of confidence to produce and manage your community garden.

To learn more about starting a community garden or becoming a Master Gardener, visit the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources website. 

Looking for more information? UCANR has developed an extensive introduction to Community Gardens that can help springboard your thoughts into action and help begin your community garden journey. Stay in touch with us by subscribing to our Community Gardener Newsletter.