The Power of Community Gardens

I am currently interning at Louisville Grows, a grass roots non-profit dedicated to urban agriculture, urban forestry, and environmental education. The second Amish principle resonated the most with me. Over these past few weeks, I have had the opportunity to meet many community members who garden or come to help out at the two community gardens that Louisville Grows has. Community gardens bring neighbors together, and it is great seeing everyone interacting with each other. The People’s Garden has two greenhouses, an area for community members, an area to grow fruit, and an area that grows local produce which is sold to different markets and restaurants around Louisville and at Louisville Grows’ monthly farmer’s market. The Shippingport Memorial Garden also has space for community members and children. We are working on a natural play area for neighborhood youth. In all senses, Louisville Grows is strengthening the practices of neighborhood. Whenever I talk to the community members who come to garden, they tell me how wonderful it is that the gardens are there. One woman told me that she never really knew her neighbors or stepped outside until she decided to garden at the Shippingport Memorial Garden. I consider myself very lucky to be able to see the beauty of gardening and its ability to bring neighbors together.

Back home, there are many community gardens where I always hear people chatting, and I would always walk by without paying attention to what the garden represented for my community. I never knew how land could bring people together until my experience this summer. Prior to this summer in Louisville, I didn’t think much about the community gardens, I just thought it was a great way to use land. However, I see that there are many more benefits to local and urban agriculture.