Health Grows in your Local Community Garden

by Erika Jerme

Just in time for Earth Day, planting season is upon us. Connect to the earth and improve your health by joining a community garden! Community gardening has substantial benefits for the environment, as well as for health. Community gardens help to improve local ecology by bringing green spaces to urban neighborhoods[1] and increasing habitat for pollinators including bees.[2] Gardens also beautify neighborhoods and increase property values: gardens on formerly vacant lots have been found to decrease blight, reduce crime, and prevent illegal dumping of trash or hazardous materials.[3]

Community gardens also have positive health impacts. Family members of gardeners are 3.5 times more likely than non-gardeners to eat the recommended five servings of fruits and vegetables per day.[4] A study of gardeners in the Denver metro found that 56% of community gardeners met national recommendations to consume fruits and vegetables at least 5 times per day, compared with 37% of home gardeners and only 25% of non-gardeners.[5] Moreover, gardeners often exchange recipes and tips on growing different fruits and vegetables, developing new social norms around healthy eating.[6] Particularly in neighborhoods that lack healthy, affordable food retail outlets like grocery stores or farmers markets, community gardens can increase access to fresh fruits and vegetables.[7] In addition to improving nutrition, gardening gets people outdoors and active, and improves mental well-being.[8] Finally, residents who participate in community gardens build relationships and increase trust with their neighbors. This increased social cohesion is also associated with better health.[9]

Visit Denver Urban Gardens at www.dug.org to learn more about community gardening, and to find a garden near you.

JCPH encourages families to eat local produce whether from the grocery store, farmers’ markets or home garden. For those who grow, consider donating to help others. Produce for Pantries is a coalition of 16 Colorado organizations dedicated to addressing local hunger by encouraging community, school and home garderners to plant, grow and share healthy food with a food pantry or hunger relief organization in their neighnorhood. There still is a need for gardeners to grow and donate food freshly grown produce! For more information about local food pantries, call the Hunger Free Hotline at 855-855-4626. For more information about Produce for Pantries, please visit www.produceforpantries.com or email produceforpantries@gmail.com. 

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[1] Ferris, J., Norman, C. and J. Sempik. 2001. “People, Land and Sustainability: Community Gardens and the Social Dimensions of Sustainable Development.” Social Policy & Administration 35(5): 559-568.

[2] Matteson, K.C., Ascher, J.S. and G.A. Langellotto. 2008. “Bee Richness and Abundance in New York City Urban Gardens.” Annals of the Entomological Society of America 101(1): 140-150.

[3] Schukoske, Jane E. 2000. “Community Development through Gardening: State and Local Policies Transforming Urban Open Space.” New York University Journal of Legislation and Public Policy 3(2): 351-392.

[4] Alaimo, Katherine, Packnett, Elizabeth, Miles, Richard A., Kruger, Daniel J. 2008. “Fruit and Vegetable Intake Among Urban Community Gardeners.” Journal of Nutritional Education & Behavior 40: 94-101.

[5] Litt, J., et al. 2011. “The Influence of Social Involvement, Neighborhood Aesthetics, and Community Garden Participation on Fruit and Vegetable Consumption.” American Journal of Public Health 101(8): 1466-1473.

[6] Teig, E., et al. 2009. “Collective efficacy in Denver, Colorado: Strengthening neighborhoods and health through community gardens.” Health and Place 15: 1115-1122.

[7] Twiss, J., et al. 2003. “Community gardens: Lessons learned from California Healthy Cities and Communities.” American Journal of Public Health 93(9): 1435-1438. 

[8] Teig, E., et al. 2009. “Collective efficacy in Denver, Colorado: Strengthening neighborhoods and health through community gardens.” Health and Place 15: 1115-1122.

[9] Teig, E., et al. 2009. “Collective efficacy in Denver, Colorado: Strengthening neighborhoods and health through community gardens.” Health and Place 15: 1115-1122.