Community/ Allotment & Hard Work!

One of the things that I have always loved most about this job is the fact that if you ask 100 people what 'Community Garden' means to them, you will likely get close to 100 different answers. Of course, themes will emerge. Community gardens create a space for many people to grow in a myriad of ways. (A place to grow food,  to learn from others or share their knowledge, to beautify neighbourhoods, donate food to a local organization, spend time outdoors with family, get exercise, engage with the community, etc ....)

However,  the word community confuses some people. Although the majority of community gardens in Peterborough are communal in the sense that they share land, resources and knowledge, they are in fact set-up as Allotment Gardens. Allotment gardens are community gardens that are divided into individual parcels. Families, groups or individuals sign-up, often pay a small fee & are responsible for planting & maintaining their area.

While I was at the Lift Lock Garden this weekend & came across a young gentleman picking from a garden that was not his. I politely asked him what he was up to. He told me that he had been coming down & picking food from the garden for years. In his opinion, the definition of  'Community Garden' was that it was there to be freely picked by the community. This may be the one definition of community garden that we at the PCGN do not welcome.

Clearly it was a misunderstanding. I explained that a 'Community Garden' most certainly does not mean that everyone in the community can come & pick freely from it. Families, and individuals work very hard to grow, weed, water & maintain their gardens and look very forward to harvest season. If someone comes to harvest their beets, tomatoes, beans or other veggies just as they were getting to the point they have been waiting for all season, it would be heartbreaking!

Inherently you are stealing from those gardeners if you are helping yourself to their hard earned harvest. 

If you would like to get a plot at a local community garden, volunteer with a garden in exchange for some produce or want to start a garden in your neighbourhood, we can help! We want to create as much access to gardens & fresh food as possible. We also work to advocate for the gardeners who have worked all year to reap their harvest.
Please email or call (705.745.3238 x.204)  if you have ANY questions.

Sincerely, Jillian Bishop