Why volunteering at a community garden is the best pastime

We tend to spend all our time on our phones and even more so through the pandemic. It’s been challenging to adjust our eyes to sunlight and adjust ourselves to having interactions with others. Social anxiety is something that the world has collectively been going through together. The solution to this isn’t one and done, but I have a small suggestion to get you outside, off your phone, and talking to people without feeling anxious – volunteering at a community garden. 

There’s so much you can do to help you relax, ease your mind, and aid your social anxiety. The community grows just as much as the plants and that’s the best part. Let’s dive into the benefits of volunteering at a community garden! 

A great way to meet your neighbors and new people - There was a time when everyone knew everyone on the block, but not so much anymore. Taking time to get to know your neighbors a little in a community garden is a beautiful experience. You’d be surprised at how quickly the time passes when you’re all focused on the same goal. Plus, if you’re wanting to meet new like-minded people, it’s a great friendship starter. There’s nothing better than gaining a great friend. 

Learn how to organize for your community- If you’ve ever wondered how people get rallies or protests together, it’s a lot like how they organize to get a community garden going. Working as a team for a common goal is the first step to organizing anything whether it be a protest, rally, etc. So, taking time to work with others in your community and really listening to what they say about their community is important. That can help you if you’re looking to do activism work. 

Marginalized communities also greatly benefit from community gardens as environmental racism is an issue that can be combatted with a strong community of people.

It’s relaxing and helps boost mental health - You know that calm feeling you would get as a kid when coloring, that same feeling comes from gardening too. Participating in something that has a greater purpose than you and feeling like you belong is something that a community garden can offer.

The keyword will always be community. Everything we learn is from someone else and we in turn give that information to others, a cycle in a community. Learning and teaching give purpose that can feel very fulfilling. 

Watching something grow that came from your hands gives a sense of accomplishment that no job can reward. 

Horticulture therapy is a branch of therapy that has gained some popularity over the past few decades and has been helpful for many who may go through mental health issues and are looking for healing. 

It can improve overall health at a low cost- Growing, eating, and sharing foods can teach you how to love those vegetables that you maybe hated growing up. Learning about how they grow and the benefits they give you is one way that’ll open your mind to them. It’s also a low-cost way to get fresh and organic produce without any GMOs or added chemicals. Maybe you’ve always wanted a garden and don’t have the space, a community garden will give you that same satisfaction, it not more. 

Kerane Marcellus Kerane Marcellus is an Editor and Writer for Sustainable Baddie, and an overall digital creative. Her writing has been published in VICE publication, No Basic Girls Allowed, beauty publication Very Good Light, and office Magazine. She has experience in ghostwriting and copywriting for e-commerce sites Nappy Head Club and Liha Beauty. Other interests include styling, cultivating ideas for editorial shoots, and photographing for e-commerce shopping sites. Writing allows her to fully express an idea or thought that she ruminates on especially when about fashion, culture, art, and the inner workings of those intersecting industries. @keranenotkaren