Israel's community gardens bloom
In Tel Aviv and across Israel, residents join communities that cultivate community vegetable gardens, enjoying the once lost sense of sharing between neighbors while developing a more sustainable approach to life.
The community garden in the south Tel Aviv neighborhood of Florentin is a genuine marvel: At the heart of a densely populated, gray urban environment, dominated by bare concrete and amid construction work in full swing, a small farm is hidden. Locals are growing herbs, fruit trees, potatoes, cucumbers, chili peppers, tomatoes, corn and even sunflowers.
On a visit to the community garden on a recent Saturday, the day of the week usually dedicated to gardening work, Hila Harel, who runs the activities at the garden, took out two pita breads filled with produce from the garden that she had collected the day before. She walked over to the cucumber patch, picked two cucumbers and sat down to eat. "Instead of going to the grocery store to buy vegetables, you can just walk through the garden and look for whatever has ripened. It's really cool!" she told Al-Monitor.
For Harel and for virtually all those involved in community gardening, the gardens are just an excuse. What really matters is the community. "It is so nice to go back home with a bag of tomatoes, but the main thing is the sense of community," Harel said. "The cultivation work in community gardens across the city and throughout the country brings people together. There is something appealing about getting together with neighbors; it's nice to see the community spirit at work and to witness the interest and activity inspired by the garden."
The hard-core group cultivating the Florentin community garden numbers only five loyal members, in addition to roughly 15 casual members who are actively involved in the project. However, the garden attracts many visitors. Thus, for instance, a man who was experiencing financial hardship came to the garden to get vegetables and now comes on and off to work in the garden in return. "We asked ourselves whether the garden should be open to nonmembers," Harel said. "We then decided that it should be open to all. Naturally, we welcome anyone willing to share in the work — not just those who reap the fruits of the labor of others."
