A study of four Prince George community gardens: goals, benefits and challenges of public and private community gardens

Community gardens have become increasingly popular in recent years, and the Canadian city of Prince George, BC is no exemption. Prince George hosts seven community gardens, four of which were the subject of research. Eighteen qualitative interviews were conducted to determine the structures, goals, benefits and challenges facing each of the four community gardens. The structures were quite varied, though the public and private nature of the gardens were the main divisive factor between the gardens. The two public gardens were run by organizations that offered the produce grown in the gardens to passersby, while the two private gardens offered plots to local residents to grow food for themselves. The five goals of the gardens were quite similar, and included social, a place to grow food, address food insecurity, health, and education. Benefits included social, food (food security and sovereignty), personal enjoyment, and education of the participants, especially children. The challenges the gardens faced varied considerably between the public and private gardens. They included theft and destruction, maintenance and labor capacity, awareness, and the overall structure of the garden. A disconnect was often found between the goals and the benefits of the gardens, and the challenges were especially serious in the public gardens. Public gardens should especially be managed carefully as their misdirected goals seem to be inhibiting the work necessary to run the garden. To ensure the sustainability of these important gardens in Prince George, consideration should be made to the structures of the gardens and changes made to the gardens. --Leaf 2.