Could You Share Your Garden?

Could you share your garden? There are many interesting ways that you could arrange to share your space and its resources with those around you. 

Many are turning their attention to their outside spaces, which have become so much more important to us all over recent years. But those of us who are lucky enough to have gardens should spare a thought for those who are less fortunate than ourselves. 

For those who live in apartments or other city homes without gardens, it can be upsetting to see others who have such spaces but who do not use their gardens to the fullest. With allotment lists lengthening in many places, there are many people who don’t have the spaces that they want and need to grow. 

If you do have a garden, think about how you might be able to share either the space itself, or some of the things it can provide, with others in your community. By sharing, you can do your bit in making your community a better, more harmonious and equal place. 

Below are some ways that you might share with others in your area:

Allowing Someone Else to Tend Your Garden Space

Many people have garden spaces that they are not using to the fullest. It is easy to forget about the garden if you have a lot of other things on your mind and little time to spare. You might be keen to grow your own, but lack the time, energy or physical ability to tend a growing garden yourself. 

Not everyone feels that they are green fingered enough to give it a go. But that does not mean that you should not allow someone else to garden in your space. 

If this is the case, you might consider allowing someone else who would like to grow some food to grow it in your garden. Perhaps, in return for being allowed to use the space, you might obtain a share of the produce. You lend, and someone else will tend. 

If you are lucky enough to have a garden, it is a shame to let the space go to waste. Let someone else turn it into a haven that can provide for local wildlife, and provide food for you and others in your community. 

Who you choose to lend your space to, and who you enter into agreements with is up to you. You can set the terms together and come to a mutually beneficial arrangement for all parties involved. You can still have times when you can enjoy privacy in your garden while also allowing someone else to make use of the space while you are not. 

Setting Up a Community Gardening Group in Your Garden

If you are already growing your own in your garden, you might have both gardens and skills to share. 

Why not reach out to other like-minded people in your area who might enjoy meeting up to tend your garden with you, enjoying a bit of a social occasion while sharing skills and gaining experience together in your garden?

Setting up a community gardening group and providing a place for them to meet on your property could be a wonderful way to make new friends, and to do something that brings your community closer together. It could also be a great way to improve your existing garden – remember, many hands make light work. 

If you are taking on a big new project – starting a new forest garden, or planting new native woodland, for example, on a larger plot – help can be very beneficial. 

And you and those you invite onto your property can strive together to meet shared goals. You can feel a connection with each other as well as with the natural world. 

Sharing Resources From Your Garden With Other Growers in Your Area

Even if you don’t actually have other gardeners meet up in your garden, or open up your garden to others from your community, you might still consider sharing the resources it provides. 

For example, you might create compost in your garden that you could share with your neighbours, or others keen to get growing in your neighbourhood. 

You might rear composting worms to pass on to others who want to set up their own vermicomposting systems.

You might also collect seeds to share with others in your community, or take cuttings and pass on plants to others who want to get their own gardens started nearby. 

Sharing Food From Your Garden With Your Community

You might also, of course, share any food you grow with others living in your area. If you work hard in your garden, you might produce more than enough food to share. Make sure you don’t let any of that excess go to waste, when others around you could make good use of it. 

Of course, you could invite friends or neighbours round for delicious home-grown meals. Or take produce round to your neighbours. 

Reaching out in these small, kind ways really can make a big difference – you might even make some new friends in the process, and actually get to know those who live close by. 

Reforging an old-fashioned sense of community can boost resilience and sustainability and help turn your community into a better place to live for all those who inhabit the area. 

You might also share excess produce with food banks or other share schemes operating in your area. Or list excess food on Olio to help prevent waste. 

These are just some ways to share your garden and the bounty it can provide.