Cultivating Community: Gardening as a Vehicle

This paper explores the question of whether and how a community garden, i.e. a piece of land cultivated by a group of individuals, fosters relationships and skills in the garden that can be put to use outside the immediate context of the garden. A brief history of community gardening in the United States and a survey of recent community gardening activity in the Research Triangle area of North Carolina sets the context for the community gardens studied. Interviews were conducted with garden organizers and people who simply enjoyed working in or volunteering for the specific community gardens observed to understand the perceived benefits and challenges to belonging to the community garden. Gardens were visited to observe the physical space used for the garden and the interactions between the gardeners.