For the more than 200 gardeners tending 151 small rectangles of land in the Berkeley Community Garden, two blocks from my house, their gardens provide space to grow vegetables, fruits, herbs, and beautiful flowers, and also provide respite from the hard surfaces of this urban neighborhood. Our location in a neighborhood with a large Asian population guarantees that a contemplative stroll through the block-long garden, which I do on many mornings, offers a view of many interesting and unusual greens, melons, and herbs. Bottle gourds and bitter melons and Chinese greens abound. Gardens like the Berkeley Community Garden build bridges across cultures, with much swapping of plants and sharing of the harvest throughout the growing season, plus potlucks and garden clean-ups that bring people together. Most gardens allocate available plots in the spring, via a lottery system; the annual fee for a garden plot is low, and helps to pay for water and shared maintenance. There are community gardens in every neighborhood of Boston, so get your green thumb on! (These are photos I took last summer; the gardens aren't quite that far along yet, but I'm keeping tabs on them every few days.)
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I visited a garden space like this in San Francisco once and loved the idea of it. Perfect garden option for city-dwellers, if you're lucky enough to get a spot!
Posted by: KalynsKitchen | May 23, 2017 at 01:35 PM
Kalyn, I feel so fortunate to have this garden so close to me.
Posted by: Lydia | May 23, 2017 at 06:55 PM