The community garden experience < our experience

COMMUNITY GARDENING IN HONG KONG

Morag Gamble reports...

Between the towering apartments rising 40 stories from the pavement, a small band of local residents are doing what most thought impossible -— creating a community garden in Hong Kong — the Castello Community Garden.

The initiators, Mr Tak Sang and his wife, Ada, live on the 29th floor in the Sha Tin neighbournood. After completing a PDC at Crystal Waters in 2002, Sang and Ada decided to become weekend farmers at O-Farm on the Hong Kong/Mainland China border. They had never gardened or farmed before — both are busy professionals who had grown up in urban Hong Kong — but they quickly learned under the guidance of the young O-farm manager, ‘Monkey’ (a PDC graduate from a course we led in Hong Kong, 2001).

For the entire week Sang and Ada look forward to their relaxing day in the countryside. O-Farm is over an hour from their home but they go every weekend to tend their plots.

There is a shed there where they leave their tools and boots, so they can easily catch public transport. A favourite part of their day is when all the weekend farmers stop for tea. Then, the makeshift shed comes alive with animated conversation as they share stories, gardening tips, harvests and recipes.

Sometimes, Monkey organises a workshop about an aspect of organic/permaculture Sang and Ada return home revitalised after a day on the farm, laiden with a basket full of fresh organic produce, flowers and herbs.

Their mealtimes have taken on a whole new meaning. In the beginning they would email me photos of their harvests and the delicious meals they’d prepared, arranged beautifully on painted plates. Their pride was evident and well-deserved for these newcomers to food-producing.

Longing for local garden space

While they love O-Farm and the countryside they still longed for a little space to garden locally, but accessing land in urban Hong Kong is extremely difficult. The towers and the land around them are owned by corporations which tightly control their use.

After many months of negotiations and petitioning, Sang and Ada managed to secure a small triangle of unused land -— a forgotten niche between the carpark, road and the apartment complex.

For almost a year now they have worked with 20 other families, all from their apartment block, to transform the rubble into a productive edible oasis. They still go to O-Farm on Sundays but now also spend all Saturday and many evenings in their garden below, where they grow their fresh greens and herbs.

Meeting the neighbours

One of the greatest things about this little garden, they both agree, is that for the first time they are getting to know their neighbours.

The activity in the garden has generated curiosity from the balconies above and people are coming down to investigate. It has become very popular — too popular for the little space they have — but the garden is as much about growing community as it is about growing food.

To make sure all those that are keen can get involved, and to help foster a culture of community cooperation, the gardeners have instigated a rotation system. After six months, gardeners must pass their plot to a new family and their name goes back on the waiting list. Current, past and future gardeners are always welcome in the garden, to meet and chat or work in the common areas where there are fruit trees, herb gardens and composting systems.

Sang and Ada exude a particular glow when they talk about their gardening and say that it is positively the best thing in their life. So enthused by the benefits of local organic food and community gardening, and excited by the growing interest, they are now campaigning other building corporations.

The resounding success of Castello Community Garden is helping to open doors and soon they hope other little pockets of land will be released for more neighbourhood gardens.

In his role as town planner in a government agency, Sang is also working to instigate a community garden policy.

Information about community gardens and community farms in Hong Kong: Morag T: 07 5494 4833

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Published in Australian City Farms & Community Gardens Network Community Harvest 2005

Morag Gamble is a landscape architect specialising in design and education for:

• local food systems
• urban agriculture
• design for community
• ecovillage design
• Permaculrture design.

She offers courses and workshops at Crystal Waters ecovillage in South East Queensland and is available for presentations and workshops elsewhere. Morag operates the consultancy, SEED International

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PAGE UPDATED... Thursday, 7 June 2007