CITY OF MONTEREY SOLID WASTE & RECYCLING DIVISION  
                                                                                                                                             
 
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   Community Gardening
 

A Community Garden is a piece of land gardened by a group of people. Community gardens provide access to fresh produce and plants as well as access to satisfying labor, neighborhood improvement, sense of community and connection to the environment. They are publicly functioning in terms of ownership, access and management, as well as typically owned in trust by local governments or nonprofits.

A city’s community gardens can be as diverse as its communities of gardeners. Some choose to solely grow flowers, others are nurtured communally and their bounty shared, some have individual plots for personal use, while others are equipped with raised beds for disabled gardeners.

Community gardens encourage an urban community’s food security allowing citizens to grow their own food or for others to donate what they have grown.The gardens also combat two forms of alienation that plague modern urban life, by bringing urban gardeners closer in touch with the source of their food, and by breaking down isolation by creating a social community. It has also been found that active communities experience less crime & vandalism.

The two obvious benefits of community gardens are the beautification of a barren space, and a strengthened sense of community. But the impact of a community garden can reach much further, touching on areas of:

  • Sustainable Agriculture
  • Urban Revitalization
  • Reducing Hunger
  • Environmental Concerns
  • Generating Money for Low-income Neighborhoods
  • Cultural Understanding
  • Crime Reduction
  • Education & Development of Youth (School Gardens)

Benefits of Community Gardens:

  • Improves the quality of life for people in the garden
  • Provides a catalyst for neighborhood and community development
  • Stimulates Social Interaction
  • Encourages Self-Reliance
  • Beautifies Neighborhoods
  • Produces Nutritious Food
  • Reduces Family Food Budgets
  • Conserves Resources
  • Creates opportunity for recreation, exercise, therapy, and education
  • Reduces Crime
  • Preserves Green Space
  • Creates income opportunities and economic development
  • Reduces city heat from streets and parking lots
  • Provides opportunities for intergenerational and cross-cultural connections
If you, or someone you know is interested in learning more or participating with establishing a community garden in Monterey, please contact us! We need to know there is support for this type of endeavor for our communities.

 

 

                                                                                                                                             


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City of Monterey Plans & Public Works Solid Waste and Recycling © 2008
Phone 831-646-5662 | Fax 831-646-5686
Rev. 05/21/09 L. Milton www.montereyrecycles.org/3R/ingarden/commgarden.html