Nor'West News: June 09, 2022

Thursday June 9 2022 3
Community gardens grow in popularity
• By Anna Sargent
GREEN THUMBS: Catherine O’Neill (left) and Lin Klenner
at New Brighton Community Garden, where visitor and
volunteer numbers have ‘skyrocketed’.
PHOTO: ANNA SARGENT
PEOPLE ARE flocking to
Christchurch community
gardens to save money and boost
mental health.
Saving money was a significant
reason why people wanted to
learn how to grow vegetables at
Richmond Community Garden,
chairperson Hayley Guglietta
said.
“I think it’s essential for society
to learn how to grow from a
seed.”
New Brighton Community
Garden manager Catherine
O’Neill said visitor and volunteer
numbers have “skyrocketed”
since the beginning of Covid
lockdowns.
The garden has about 17 volunteers
and 13 visitors each day
it is open. Funding and administration
manager Lin Klenner
said this was “easily double” the
number of people from two years
ago.
Klenner attributed this increased
interest in gardening and
vegetable growing to people having
been stuck at home during
lockdowns from 2020.
“The problem is a lot of people
didn’t have the skills, so when
lockdown was over people came
to community gardens to learn
more.”
O’Neill said being able to
grow your own vegetables was
“empowering”, as people became
more self-sufficient and less reliant
on outside sources for fresh
produce.
Volunteers at New Brighton
Community Garden can take
home vegetables and seedlings
after they have worked for two
hours.
Regular volunteer Tony has
helped at the garden for three
years. He said he appreciates the
vegetables he gets to take home,
and the skills he has learned in
growing different plants.
Tony volunteers all year
around and enjoys “seeing the
four seasons” being reflected in
the garden.
Christchurch South Community
Gardens Trust manager
Christine Blance also reported
an increased interest from people
wanting to learn vegetablegrowing
skills.
“There is a satisfaction and
pleasure in creating something
yourself and sharing the crops
with people,” she said.
Both Christchurch South
Community Garden and
Richmond Community Garden
PRODUCE: Volunteers at the garden can take home some
of the fresh vegetables harvested.
have reported an increase in
volunteers over the last two
years.
O’Neill said the mental health
benefits of gardening were well
known.
“They’ve done studies on
wellbeing and one big thing is
getting your hands in the soil,
to get good feelings into your
brain.”
A literature review by UK
organisations Garden Organic
and Sustain said gardening
and community food growing
improved mental and physical
health. It claimed gardening can
reduce stress and depression, and
improve people’s health because
they are eating more fruit and
vegetables.
The social connection aspect
of community gardens can also
boost mental health. Tony said
his mood always improved after
spending time at the garden.
High food prices are also
driving people to grow their own
vegetables.
Fruit and vegetable prices at
supermarkets have jumped 17 per
cent over the last year, according
to Stats NZ. The biggest increases
were the cost of tomatoes, broccoli
and iceberg lettuces.
Klenner said rising prices
made it more attractive for
volunteers to come to the
community garden, to be able to
take home some vegetables and
learn growing skills they can use
in their own gardens.
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