How To Volunteer At Asbury Park City Hall Community Garden

Gardening and growing your own vegetables and herbs may be an activity that is second nature to many seasoned home gardeners. However, having that small plot of earth to call your own isn't always readily available, especially for those living in urban communities. In response to our changing food culture, many NJ communities are seeing the rise of the community garden, which satisfies the need for dirt and growth, one plant at a time.
Community gardens have been sprouting up all over the Garden State, either for residents to rent their own beds, for students to learn more about where their food comes from, or for those in the community that don't have access to fresh vegetables. "Connecting with our neighbors to learn from each other and share food traditions is an amazing way to build community in a time when it can be otherwise difficult," says Kerry Thompson, a volunteer at an Asbury Park community garden.
Renting your own raised bed can cost anywhere from $30 to $50, but there are also plenty of opportunities to get your hands dirty, whether you volunteer to help weed or plan on sprucing up your horticulture skills. Not only do community gardens offer healthy fruits and vegetables, they also beautify vacant lots, revive public areas and bring an overall sense of pride, community and well-being to the neighborhood.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recognizes the importance of community gardens as areas for growing food, as well as helping local residents "engage in physical activity, skill building and creating green space, decreasing violence in some neighborhoods and improving social well-being through strengthening social connections."

Most communities now have open space for gardens but if your town doesn't, don't be afraid to start one! Pat Smith founded The Garden of Joy, a community garden in Asbury Park, and experienced first hand how urban agriculture can positively affect others. A long-time resident of New York City, she watched as abandoned lots turned into gardens one by one. After moving to Asbury Park, she began gardening at Trinity Church in 2007 and eventually leased two more plots of land. The programs use adult volunteers, as well as school-age children.
Community Garden "I thought, why are all these people buying canned vegetables when we could have a garden for everyone?" says Smith. "I would drive around the west side asking anyone hanging out for help and once they came, it truly opened up their worlds." She reminisces about one 10-year-old volunteer who was surprised to found out that tomatoes are green when they first bloom on the plant, not red. Soon after, Smith began cooking with them, showing how food can go directly from the garden to the table.
"These kids became braver, more entrepreneurial, even learning about how to communicate with others," says Smith. "They even began watching what the school fed them, telling me what vegetables were given to them to eat."
No matter what purpose you serve in a community garden, it comes down to getting your hands in the dirt, learning where your food comes from and how it grows, and sharing that experience with others. As Thompson says, "You never want to waste food when you know how hard you worked for it!"
For more information on how to join or start your own community garden, visit the American Community Gardening Association.

Hero (Top) Feature Image courtesy: © Viktor Pravdica/Adobe Stock
Additional Body Images Courtesy: The Garden of Joy

ProfilePic Melissa Beveridge is a 200 hour registered yoga teacher, certified integrative health coach, aspiring gardener, and writer in Monmouth County. She's passionate about sharing her lifestyle and combining her love of food, health, and wellness into her writing. Follow her adventures through New Jersey at MBeeWell.com.
You can also find her on Twitter @MBeeWell, and on Instagram @mbeewell.