Gates padlocked and beds left to the weeds: across Europe and in several US states, a community garden is simply not a place where you can spend quarantine time. Whether the plot sits on public land, belongs to a charity or rests on a personal agreement with a neighbour, the same rule applies — garden at home instead.
Across Europe and in several US States, rules are very clear: a community garden is not a place where you can spend quarantine time.
In the long run, though, ultra-local gardening solutions will certainly solve many of today’s problems.
Providing local food is a large part of humanity’s response to health crisis like this Covid-19 lockdown!
This is where the original meaning of the word “crisis“ makes the most sense: “to make decisions“…
Closing and avoiding community gardens is an act of public health
Setting aside legal and government legislation, it’s also important to realize how critical the situation is.
The quarantine has the goal of avoiding and minimizing contact between people.
Most people who spread the virus don’t even shown any symptoms!
Of course, anyone who shows signs of flu such as fever, coughing and so on should stay at home. But he or she will already have spread the virus to dozens of people in the days before symptoms appear!
So it’s precisely when you feel healthy and ready to go tickle those weeds that you might be unknowingly spreading germs and viruses.
It isn’t a problem if you garden at home. Indeed, your home isn’t a public place where dozens of people freely come and go.
On the other hand, a community or shared garden is a very public place.
Moreover, it’s also a preferred outing for retired persons. These are the most vulnerable in case of infection!
To summarize the situation: for as long as the lockdown lasts, avoid community gardens.
The four kinds of shared garden, and where lockdown leaves them
Shared growing space comes in several very different forms, but the distinction matters less than most gardeners hope. Here is how each type is set up, and what the decrees mean for it.
The four kinds of shared garden, and where lockdown leaves them
Type of shared garden
Who runs it
Where lockdown leaves it
Plot on public land
Municipalities or botanical gardens
Closed: not a permitted quarantine space
Semi-informal shared park or space
Members of a subdivision or homeowner’s association
Treated as a very public place: stay away
Charity or non-profit garden
Charities and non-profits opening gardening to all
Shut for the duration, despite the mission
Personal agreement on someone else’s ground
A garden owner lending out a small plot
Covered too: decrees are applicable in all cases
Whichever line your plot falls on, local and national decrees override the arrangement that created it.
Government statements on lockdown include all non-essential activities
Many municipalities have already clearly stated that community gardens are not permitted “quarantine spaces”, unlike private gardens.
Indeed, authorities still regard landscaping as an essential activity. So for the moment, it still is possible to ask for someone to trim your hedges or perform heavy work.
There are troves of things you can dig into. Write up a bucket list of things you wish to start when the lockdown is over. Research what you need to get things done.
These are projects you can work on for relatives that might have the space: parents, children, neighbors…
Community gardens tip: cultivate relationships
The key outcome in this time of crisis is to reflect on what’s most important: the people we love.
With gates shut, tend connections instead of beds
Cultivate and nurture connections you have that risk being lonely. Pick up the phone and call. Video messaging can be a great comfort to people who stay home.
Each call you place is a seed of love. It will grow and bear fruit, turning into a sweet harvest by the time the crisis will have died down.
Think about the people you might get in “touch” with while relaxing in your meditation garden.
Images: CC BY-SA 2.0: Andy Underscore, Pixabay: Christelle Olivier, Public Domain: Karen Blakeman
Written by Gaspard Lorthiois | Loves helping out, especially when it comes to growing things. Worked in herbal medicine, runs a farm, and dabbles in tech. Master's degree and engineer.
