Urban gardening is no new practice; food has been cultivated according to plan in cities as long as they have existed. The practice of urban vegetable plots has slowly been dying out over the last few decades because of the concreting of yards for parking places and uncontrolled building in the outlying areas, but in the last few years has undergone a new flowering, both in the world at large and in this country. Joint urban gardens bring the community together and have much wider uses than only food cultivation and money saving – they are a place for socialising, while the community alongside these gardens is inter-generationally networked and knowledge is transferred among the members who perhaps would never otherwise have contacted each other.
In this context, Parkticipacija has set up two mini urban gardens in Zagreb. One is in the south west part of the city, the other is in the Upper Town; elderly people who live in the wider neighbourhood are included in the projects. The whole process of the creation of the gardens is documented, alongside practical workshops with the participants who want to learn the bases of preserving landrace vegetables and cultivating food in a little space in an urban setting – from preparation of the soil without digging and the construction of hot beds for winter, to planting and sowing vegetables in pots that can be kept in the flat or on a balcony. Particular attention is devoted to creating solutions suitable for people with reduced mobility and physical strength, in order to show that gardening is accessible to all members of the community, of all ages and physical capacities; the project shows that absolutely everyone, with a minimum amount of energy and a minimum amount of space, can grow their own lettuce, and more as well.
These gardens might be short-lived, but they will still serve as an experiment in time – as long as during autumn a community that will undertake their maintenance forms around them, there is a great chance that gardens in these spots, at least in these neighbourhoods, will persist. Such gathering places can provide outstanding possibilities for new learning, and for an active and useful leisure activity for all who want to join in.
