Community garden brings community spirit to Kaukajärvi and teaches low-threshold food cultivation
The opening of Kaukajärvi community garden took place at the end of May. On the opening day, a variety of seedlings were brought to the site and everyone was able to choose the ones they liked for their own box.
In a community garden, the aim is to make cultivation as easy as possible. Every Friday, 1–2 gardeners are on hand to help and support the growers. The watering of the boxes is done cooperatively. There are three watering shifts each week and each participant has 1–2 shifts during the summer. Various workshops have also been held in the garden during the summer.
Growers from infants to grandfathers
Sini Lempinen, project planner for the Kaukajärvi and Annala neighbourhood programme, says that the community garden has growers of all ages.
‒ The oldest people at the opening were probably of retirement age. There were also many families with young children at the opening.
Anna Pyökkilehto is one of the growers in the community garden.. She recently moved to Tampere with her daughter and was looking for a summer activity for them to do together. Growing things in the garden proved to be a great alternative.
‒ I’ve been growing on balconies for several seasons, and I wanted to try box growing, says Anna.
She says the best part is watching the plants grow and harvesting the crops.
‒It's been really rewarding. It’s been nice to take care of my own box and at the same time teach it to my child.
Community as an important part of cultivation
The area next to Kaukajärvi School was chosen as the location for the community garden when its establishment was planned as part of the Kaukajärvi and Annala neighbourhood programme. The area around the school is mainly made up of block of flats, with the exception of a few terraced houses.
‒ We saw that the people living in the neighbouring housing complexes didn't have their own gardens, so they could benefit from the garden being located there, says Sini Lempinen.
Community is a big part of everyday life in the garden.
‒ We hope that the garden will contribute to the sense of community in the area. By coming together around a common cause, different people can get to know each other and make natural connections with new people, says Lempinen.
‒ We have our own WhatsApp group to share news about the community garden. During the summer, it’s also possible to garden on the plot together with other gardeners. The garden is important to all participants and we’ve been really happy when the crop has grown big enough to be harvested, says Anna Pyökkilehto.
The garden also offers much good outside the cultivating community. There are grow boxes for anyone to enjoy. Passers-by have also spent a summer's day in the garden.
Garden inspires continued cultivation
Sini Lempinen says that the feedback about the community garden has been positive.
‒ A great many passers-by have said how wonderful it is that such a thing has come here, she says.
Many of the plants in the community garden boxes are the types that you can continue growing on your own balcony.
‒ Participants have been able to see how easy it can be to get started with urban cultivation. For example, this community garden has been an easy low-threshold way for participants to learn about growing food. There was no need to have any prior skills. For example, the seedlings and instructions were provided, says Lempinen.
Anna Pyökkilehto says that she plans to continue gardening in the future.
‒ I’ll definitely go on with this! In addition to the community garden, I also currently have lettuce and herbs growing on my balcony.
Neighbourhood programme promotes the appeal and well-being of the area
The neighbourhood programme for Kaukajärvi and Annala began in 2023 and will run until 2025. It contributes to the vision of "living as if in a village", created with the local residents and operators, for the future of the area. The vision is for a vibrant, community-based neighbourhood that is close to nature.
