Enriching communities through gardening

Gardeners participating in the Portland Community Garden program pose in front of their plots. Photo courtesy of Laura Niemi.

In sprawling urban areas, community gardening programs offer green salvation to the public.

By Julianne Mobilian
Produce Grower
Jan 18, 2020

Excerpt:

“We are living in a society prevalent with chronic disease, obesity, diabetes…all these things are in your face every day,” says Steven Uecker, president of Sunshine Community Gardens in Austin, Texas. “And gardening is a way to be healthy and it’s easy.”

Community garden initiatives help foster a sense of local camaraderie and provide a green space for people who may not have access to yards. Getting involved is simple and all it takes is a Google search and a quick phone call to your local community garden plot coordinator.

“We keep waitlists for each of our gardens and people can sign up online just by filling out a form, or they can call our office and do it over the phone, or we do take sign ups at outreach events,” says Laura Niemi, program coordinator for the Community Garden Program at Portland Parks & Recreation. Generally, people request plots closest to their homes and plots are assigned based on seniority. When a plot becomes available, Niemi reaches out to the person who has been waiting the longest and offers them the plot.

At the Portland Parks and Recreation department, there are 57 community gardens. The gardens are managed by a central office, but at each site, there’s a volunteer leadership team that assists in day-to-day activities, Niemi says.

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