This fall, Drew Betz canned 18 pints of homemade salsa. The tomatoes came from her front yard where she also grows lettuce, cauliflower, cabbage, herbs, beets, raspberries and more. As fall and harvest time is upon us, you may have noticed more urban gardening in your neighborhood. Betz is part of a national trend toward growing and eating food produced in o­ne's own neighborhood

A community garden is basically a piece of land gardened by a group of people. It can be urban, suburban, or rural. It can grow flowers, vegetables or community. It can be o­ne community plot, or can be many individual plots. It can be at a school, hospital, or in a neighborhood. It can also be a series of plots dedicated to "urban agriculture" where the produce is grown for a market.

Today, Whatcom County features 19 community gardens including gardens in Ferndale, Lynden, Sumas, Everson and Maple Falls and gardens funded by Community First! Gardens and even some owned by the City of Bellingham. In fact, the three community gardens owned by the city of Bellingham have waitlists, Betz says.

WHY COMMUNITY GARDENS?
There are a variety of reasons why community gardens have seen resurgence in popularity, not just in Whatcom County but throughout the country. The community garden phenomenon has social, economic, nutritional, and environmental implications

Of the many benefits of community gardens, the nutrition and exercise aspects stand out above all. Not o­nly do community gardens assist with local food security, but the act of gardening can be therapeutic and can relieve stress. “Gardening is downright aerobic,” says Becky Curtis, coordinator with Community First! Gardens. Growing o­ne’s own organic produce has also proven to be a more economical option than purchasing it. Betz says the gardens have really resonated with people and she sees the community garden concept expanding in the future to become even more popular. Neighborhoods should consider planning for a garden now so they are ready to farm when early spring arrives.

Just imagine a 14-by-16-foot raised garden bed can feed a family of four during the growing season. However, additional benefits extend beyond feeding a family according to the American Community Gardening which includes:
•     Improving the quality of life for people in the garden
•     Providing a catalyst for neighborhood and community development
•     Stimulating Social Interaction
•     Encouraging Self-Reliance
•     Beautifying Neighborhoods
•     Producing Nutritious Food
•     Reducing Family Food Budgets
•     Conserving Resources
•     Creating opportunity for recreation, exercise, therapy, and education
•     Reducing Crime
•     Preserving Green Space
•     Creating income opportunities and economic development
•     Reducing city heat from streets and parking lots
•     Providing opportunities for intergenerational and cross-cultural connections

BEYOND GROWING FOOD WHAT CAN A COMMUNITY GARDEN DO?
American Community Gardening Association website features two research reports which examine community gardens’ positive effects o­n property values and crime reduction.

A New York University study examined the effect of community gardens o­n nearby property values. The study of 636 NYC community gardens showed a statistically significant positive effect o­n sales prices of residential properties within a 1000 foot radius of a community garden when compared to properties outside the 1000 foot ring but still with in the same neighborhood. The net tax benefit over a 20 year period to the city is estimated at 647 million dollars or $1 million per garden. Download PDF of this study (191 KB)

Gateway Greening in St. Louis through the generosity of Mr. and Mrs. Blanton Whitmire undertook a study to document the successes of Gateway Greening and community gardening. As a community development agency, they hoped to show that greening projects have positive effects o­n neighborhoods and their residents. Some of the positive effects we are examining are crime reduction both to property and people, increased property values and improvement of property, improvements in the overall appearance of the neighborhood, and increased feelings of safety. Click here for more information.

WHATCOM COUNTY: COMMUNITY FIRST! GARDENS
Betz says the idea for Community First! Gardens, a project of the Extension, grew out of examining the current food system. “Health and economic needs are driving people” to garden in their neighborhood or at home, Betz says.

Curtis believes community gardens have gained popularity for ecological, food access, and hunger issues. She says frustration with the lack of access to quality food and getting back in touch with nature and o­ne another have been driving forces.

Community First! Gardens, a project of the extension, came into being a year ago when funding from the Mary Redman Foundation came through. Neighborhood residents working at each of the three Community First! Gardens have decided to grow organically, Curtis says.

“Food is normally grown to be good for transport, not for taste or nutrition,” Curtis explains. Homegrown tomatoes have a softer skin and more water in them, which is not conducive to being shipped or packed o­nto a truck, Curtis says. But the flavor can’t be beat she says.

The produce being grown locally means it doesn’t need to travel to get to our plates; it will be fresher and therefore have a higher nutritional content, Curtis says. And this is what the community garden movement is all about.

In addition to “making nutritious, locally grown food more available to more people” the program also strives to “[build] a sense of self reliance” and “provide an environment in which a strong sense of community can flourish,” according to the web site.

HOW TO START A COMMUNITY FIRST! GARDEN
The Community First! Gardens Project is a Washington State University Whatcom County Extension program, funded by a grant from The Mary Redman Foundation.

CF!G is currently seeking partnerships with Whatcom County neighborhoods wishing to create new gardens or further develop existing o­nes. Partnerships begin with a meeting with CF!G Coordinator, Becky Curtis, to review the goals of the Community First! Gardens Project and the group's vision for their garden. At that meeting or at a follow-up meeting needs are assessed, and a plan created for achieving the long-term vision for the garden, and how being a part of the Community First! Gardens Project could help. Possibilities could include consultations with WSU staff o­n garden design and building, square foot gardening, integrated pest management (IPM), and composting. After this process, garden groups would be eligible for financial assistance tied to purchases made through the WSU Whatcom County Extension office. The amount would be determined by the plan developed together.