Urban vegetable gardens produce more than just food

It’s garden season, which means gardeners are starting to enjoy homegrown vegetables. But for those who live in cities, city life can reinforce the idea that gardens are a bonus, maybe a hobby, but not a necessity.

At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, supermarkets were open because of the critical role they play in feeding us. However, the Ontario government initially close community gardensignoring the fact that the gardens also feed us. The gardens were reopened only after pressure from public opinion.

As public health researchers with a long interest in food systems and health, we have discovered that contrary to what you might think, gardening is a hobby, gardens are imperative to life.

We reached this conclusion based on interviews with a variety of Toronto gardeners, a survey of more than 100 people, and extensive participant observation—which in this case meant communal gardening. Participants included home gardeners, allotment gardeners, rooftop gardeners, and even people tending food plants in their apartments. The results of our research have been published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal Food, Culture and Society.

Growing food in the city

To grow food, you have to be dedicated. There’s weeding and watering, and dealing with squirrels and raccoons that might get to the food first.

You need to invest in seeds and equipment, and if you don’t have your own space, there may be a fee to the city for access to the plot. If the garden you’re tending to isn’t close to where you live, you also need to factor in transportation time. And after all that, your crop may not be successful.

Though prices are risingproduce is plentiful in grocery stores. So to better understand the role of urban gardening, we asked why people do it in the first place?

The most common response was that gardening is perceived as improving health. One retired worker summed it up well:

“In the winter, you have to do more exercise. But in the summer, if I skip the gym, I don’t feel bad because I do more.”

Others have found that gardening helps their mental health. They feel tranquil in the plants, their minds are alert. In some cases, the gardens have given participants a reason to wake up in the morning when they are struggling with their mental health.

For a few people, the plants were even seen as company. “I live a fit life because of my garden,” said one participant. Gardening contributed to their happiness.

Food and food security

Another reason people told us they gardened was, not surprisingly, for food. Most gardeners grew a wide variety of food plants, with 31 percent of survey respondents saying they grew between 10 and 20 different species.

Importantly, several of the gardeners interviewed who also identified as low-income highlighted the importance of gardening to their food security. One gardener, who has a miniature plot on church-owned land, told us that she grew so much food that she did not have to go to the supermarket in the summer, which helped her family financially.

Another gardener said he was able to make a significant contribution to his family by producing enough vegetables on his plot to not only eat in the summer but also freeze for the winter. And one woman grew organic food she couldn’t afford in the store.

People not only kept this food for themselves, but also shared it with friends and family.

Cultural connection

For gardeners who have cultural ties to other countries, some of whom are recent immigrants, growing their own food is a way to ensure they have access to the vegetables they ate as children.

“We left, but we still want the taste,” said one man, explaining why he grew a type of spinach from South Asia. In the store, the vegetables — when available — are steep and not as fresh.

Our findings reflect what other researchers have found on the subject cultural, health AND benefits of gardens for food security.

Gardening and Urban Health

So if growing food in urban gardens is crucial for health, food security and culture, how might policymakers approach gardening differently?

We argue that gardens should be considered imperative parts of our food system. Gardens are crucial to the people who tend them—and to the many people whose names appear on them. waiting lists for space to grow food in the city, even though they may not have the space to do so themselves.

In our study, people who owned their homes were more likely to report that they had been growing food for more than 10 years. Owning a home often includes an outdoor space, such as a yard or balcony, that others may not have access to. The pandemic has reminded us how unjust and frail many of our eco-social systems are, and other researchers documented how people began to garden during this period.

Various levels of government and other institutions with jurisdiction over land (such as those overseeing hydroelectric corridors, as well as schools, religious institutions, and apartment and condo owners) must take steps to expand sheltered access to garden space, especially for people who do not have a yard.

We should invest more in community gardens as an imperative part of our food system.