Community Gardens – Cultivating a Harvest of Friendship and Well-Being

By: Brenda Sipe Barb, Clinical Chaplain-CDP, CMDCP, Bridgewater Retirement Community

Community gardens aren’t the newest trend, but they are increasing more and more in popularity as people seek to produce sustainable fruits and vegetables for their own personal consumption, and quite often, to provide for those in need within their own communities.

Wikipedia defines a community garden as “a piece of land gardened or cultivated by a group of people individually or collectively; the land is normally divided into separate plots, and is the responsibility of the plot owner or renter.” While this explanation is true, its simplistic definition belies the much broader vision and purpose of so many community gardens.. Community gardens are quite often the pride and joy of its gardeners, local community, and especially anyone who benefi ts from that which the garden yields.

Community Garden Benefits… though but a few of an unending list of possibilities and benefits.

• Saves money and provide fresher and more nutritious fruits and vegetables.

• Spending quality time with neighbors and establish lasting friendships.

• Supports physical health to aid in the prevention or effects of high blood pressure, diabetes, osteoporosis, and more through light aerobic exercise with digging, pulling, twisting, reaching, repetitious squatting, all of which can improve heart and lung health, and support the immune system.

• Supports mental health through improved sleep and improved mood, and calming down stress and anxiety through reduction of those pesky stress hormones such as cortisol.

• May improve memory through task-driven focus, and offers meaning and purpose, promotes happy memories of gardening, and offers multiple opportunities to meet and connect with their neighbors which can serve to alleviate isolation and loneliness.