Boston Community Gardens in 2020: How gardeners adapted, and community spirit thrived

Community gardens are valuable neighborhood spaces, not only providing fresh produce, but also serving as important centers for social activity. The Trustees of Reservations is proud to manage 56 community gardens in the City of Boston, spread out across eight neighborhoods. Though this summer looked very different from previous seasons as communities adapted to a “new normal” due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many urban gardens were able to thrive. One Waterfront spoke with Trustees Community Gardens Engagement Manager Michelle de Lima to find out how gardeners adapted, interacted, and made the most of this unusual season.

It was a very different summer for all of us this year. How did our community gardens adapt?

We were really happy that we were able to keep the gardens open this year. The community garden spaces are well-suited to social distancing, they’re all open-air and gardeners have their own plots. We did have to make some modifications to the season, including instituting sign-ups for garden cleanups rather than doing large group events. Though our gardens were not able to have the same in-person community gatherings we typically have throughout the summer, people were still able to maintain their plots and have safe, socially distanced interactions. So, there was still that sense of working together on something.

In some cases, the gardens were even better tended this summer than in past years, because people really wanted to take part—gardening was one of the safe, purposeful things they could do. The source of food also became more important in people’s lives, as well as having a safe activity to do outside of the house. For a lot of people, it was a positive, familiar and helpful thing to have during these uncertain times.

How were people still able to connect and feel a sense of community despite the challenges of 2020?

We started the season with a coordinator meeting over Zoom and had a larger turnout than expected. From the start there was a real desire to come together, and even in a virtual space it was wonderful to see everyone. We have 56 community gardens throughout the city, and many of these groups adapted quickly to using virtual tools as part of their season—one of our gardens called it their Zoom Bloom Room! It was encouraging to see how people just picked up the technology and adapted to it, people of all ages and backgrounds and levels of tech-savviness.

The nice thing about gardens is that people were still able to see each other in person, safely masked and distanced. Though we didn’t get to congregate in the same way, we still maintained that connection. One of the surprising and uplifting things about this season was getting to see an uptick in extra produce being shared, whether through donation boxes placed outside the garden for the surrounding neighborhood, or the more formal donations to pantries. Giving back to the community was something that more gardeners took part in this year, and I think it was a real feeling of having something valuable to share during a difficult time. We also saw many new “sidewalk libraries” pop up, which was another really nice way the gardeners found to engage with their communities in a safe manner.

It sounds like there were many success stories this season. Is there one that stands out? What went particularly well?

There are a few things that stand out. One in particular is how one of our gardens came together to support a coordinator who, because of health reasons, couldn't visit the plots in-person. She's a big part of the spirit and backbone of that garden and has been for a long time. Because she couldn’t visit, the other gardeners came together to maintain her plot throughout the growing season, and it was really very beautiful to see. She was able to start her own container garden on her porch and led a couple of virtual Q&As to stay in touch with her group and continue to share her knowledge and guidance. For me that spoke to the spirit of community that these gardens really foster, and how they helped keep us from feeling isolated this year.

I was also really pleased with how many people attended our online programs! There was a clearly a big need, from familiar faces and also new audiences. We saw a huge influx of interest in gardening, and a significant number of people who hadn’t been able to attend our in-person gardening events before were able to take part in virtual programming. This increased appetite and appreciation for garden skills was a pleasant surprise. Though I definitely want to get back in the gardens and do in-person programs again, we’ll try to find ways to maintain a mix, to continue reaching more people, and give those options of access. It has allowed us to engage more gardeners outside our community gardens who are growing food in whatever spaces they have.

What were some of the staples that were grown this year? Where does this produce go?

Our gardens are for the gardeners: they grow for themselves, their families and whomever they share with. In addition, some of the gardeners do formal or informal produce donation. A few of the gardens donate to Rosie’s Place, the Pine Street Inn, and multiple smaller food pantries.

One of the really cool things about our gardens is the huge variety of crops that people grow—the membership is so diverse, with lots of immigrant communities and people from different backgrounds: Haitian, Cape Verdean, Puerto Rican, Dominican, Vietnamese, Chinese, Sudanese, Jamaican… So, while many gardeners grow tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, lettuce and other heavy hitters of fresh garden produce—there are a lot of regional varieties in there as well, including specific types of hot peppers, beans, squashes, herbs, and radishes. A ton of people grow callaloo, which is used widely in Caribbean cuisines, and it’s a green that grows well almost everywhere, including New England. That’s also something I see shared a lot, as it’s a prolific crop.

What did it mean to you, personally, to get out in the garden this summer and be outdoors in a safe, socially distant manner?

It's wonderful to be able to do something that’s outdoors and physical and has great sensory components—the feel of things, the smell, and the flavors. Plus it’s productive, growing food we can eat. That combination is valuable to me in any year. But this year in particular, there were so few things that felt familiar and safe, so having a relatively normal-feeling gardening season was comforting, and in many ways, grounding. I spoke with a lot of people this summer who described gardening as being a hopeful thing…there is a certain amount of faith and optimism that goes into it (‘I’m going to plant these seeds and tend to them and trust that they will grow’) that when other things felt beyond our control, this was still an activity we could rely on.

Another point I’ve heard a lot of gardeners make is that it still felt like we were working together on a common cause and common project, at a time when it was easy to feel isolated. Being able to see faces, even if under a mask, was a welcome feeling of familiarity. We're such social creatures, and the joy that human interaction brings is so important. It’s been a tough year for that.  

If a first-time gardener is looking for tips on closing their garden this fall to prepare for the next growing season, what do you recommend?

My number one tip is not having bare soil over the winter. If your soil is exposed to lots of weather extremes you could have erosion and compaction—not good for the beneficial organisms that live in your soil. You don’t have to purchase anything because you can use leaves as a cover, they make a great mulch! I recommend either shredding the leaves, or using wet or partially rotted leaves, as those tend to stay put better. Leaves are a wonderful free source of organic matter.

Secondly, cleaning up any diseased or insect-infested plant material is important—make sure you’re not storing insect eggs, larvae or fungal spores over the winter, in or near your garden. Now is also the time to protect any plants that are marginal in our climate. For perennials that may mean cutting them back and protecting them with leaves or straw. If you have ornamental perennials or things with seed heads on them, I like to leave those for birds and beneficial insects who can use them as a food source, or habitat.  

Lastly, now is a great time to test your soil. The UMass soil lab is open again, so if you want to know the makeup of your soil, check out the directions on their website and send things off now because in the spring that can get backed up. Plus, it’s nice to get that information now and plan for the year ahead.

Are there any upcoming programs or workshops that people can take part in?

Yes! There are a few I’d love people to know about: We have a workshop on putting your garden to bed this Saturday and have just opened applications for the winter session of our Master Urban Gardener training. Plus, we have a fun garden mixology class and a take-home butternut squash galette cooking class coming up!

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To learn more about the Boston Community gardens, visit the webpage by clicking here, and the Facebook page by clicking here.

Blog thumbnail image: A squash tunnel coming into fruition at Lydon Community Garden. (Courtesy facebook.com/boscomgardens)