It starts with two or more people meeting in a common space. They don’t likely know one another, yet they live within close proximity. They form a group and work on a single initiative they achieve through their individual labors. This is how a community garden grows.

Grown out of necessity

At the beginning of World War I, emergency food shortages spawned a national wave of community gardens. Vacant lots, schoolyards, undeveloped municipal property — virtually any idle land was considered a till­able site. Citizens received instruc­tion on planting and cultivation. As the crisis eased and the war ended, many people abandoned their gardening activities, at least for a time. During World War II, the government encouraged citi­zens to plant “victory gardens” to supplement food rationing.

Although the necessity abated, community gardeners across the country had established strong bonds over their common ground and enjoyed the social aspects of group gardening. So they continued on, often for gen­erations and in the same place. From these early begin­nings, the mod­ern community gardening move­ment surged in popularity during the early 1970s, reflecting interests in self-sufficiency, back-to-the-land basics, early environmental action, open-space preservation, organic farming and hunger prevention, back-to-the-land basics, early environmental action, open-space preservation, organic farming and hunger prevention.

Shared commitment, common purpose

Today, there are more than 18,000 community garden organizations, according to the American Community Gardening Association. Each garden is as distinctive as the people who established it. Some assign individual plots; others organize as a group and work the garden as a single unit. Still, some traits remain the same among community gardens with a shared commitment and common purpose:

• Experienced gardeners and novices work and learn side by side.

• Members often focus on a specific group or area, such as supplying a local soup kitchen or beautifying a vacant lot.

• People who share in these activities become organized, connect with local government and adjacent neighborhoods, and establish a base for commu­nity action and self-reliance.

Starting a community garden

There are many ways to launch your own project. Visit an existing community garden to talk with the organizers about their experiences or volunteer to work in one to gain some of your own. ACGAs website, communitygarden.org, offers a working outline for open­ing a group discussion, including directives on how to form a plan­ning committee, choose a site and organize your garden. Contact your county Extension Service office for guidance. Then start planning for the 2007 planting season.