Indeed there is a huge difference between allotment and community gardens. I don't think we have to look to Europe to figure it out. Allotments are alloted by someone. Community gardens are claimed by the community and gardened as a community effort. Novel idea in countries where individual ownership is the norm. Allotment gardeners expect not to have to do any weeding. Not to have to do any grant writing or organizing. Alot of community gardening is about protecting the garden itself. Through politics (which most gardeners justifibly hate doing, it takes them out of the garden)Municipalities tend to promote allotment gardens because they feel that they are easier to control because the city owns them. Community gardens are often owned (if they are lucky) by bigger umbrellas like churches and other community organizations. The word plot is anethma to community gardens. it signifies veg plots and is often used by municipalities in leiu of gardens, using the charity model of 'look at the virtuous poor growing veg in their veg plot. Some of these types of arrangements actually forbid the planting of flowering plants in this city's allotments. This city is in the deep dark ages. A community garden co-ordinator employed by the government recently told me that community gardens are not about gardening. Heaven forbid that the gardeners should ever be empowered by learning something about gardens, she might be out of a job, she thinks. Wrong again. Allotment gardens employ the charity model. I think that community gardens reach out beyond the borders of the garden to empower the gardeners and make the community stronger. Allotments can exist out in the middle of nowhere and still accomplish what they set out to do. Community gardens typically are in urban settings. I think. This is, after all, not the American Allotment Garden site. When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of community_garden digest..."
Today's Topics: 1. MSP Airport to Middlebrook by Public Transortation (Diane Dodge) 2. c.g. or allotment? (Kristin Faurest) 3. RE: c.g. or allotment? (Betsy Johnson) 4. RE: c.g. or allotment? (Jack Hale) 5. Re: c.g. or allotment? (Libby J. Goldstein) --__--__-- Message: 1 From: "Diane Dodge" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: Wed, 27 Jul 2005 12:47:24 -0500 Subject: [cg] MSP Airport to Middlebrook by Public Transortation OK Folks, the skinny on fares from the airport to use with the route I sent yesterday: Base fare (local service, non-rush hours) $1.50(includes transfers for 2 1/2 hrs) Local service, rush hours* $2.00(ditto on transfers) * Rush Hours: Monday Friday 6 to 9 a.m. and 3 to 6:30 p.m. AND---if you're an old fart like me and have a medicare card, you can ride during non-rush hours for half a buck(ditto on transfers) What a deal... www.metrotransit.org Diane --__--__-- Message: 2 Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] From: "Kristin Faurest" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: Thu, 28 Jul 2005 09:00:42 +0000 Subject: [cg] c.g. or allotment? Dear everyone, I know i can always count on this listserver for brilliant answers, so here goes. I am in the process of finishing a dissertation on community gardens, and am trying to come up with an intelligent but simple explanation of what distinguishes a community garden from a European allotment. Some distinctions that I have read suggest that the difference is that allotments are individual parcels and community gardens are not, but I know that that isn't at all accurate, either. There's no distinctive socioeconomic group that either serves more than the other, as far as I know, and European allotment gardens often function as social centers or to help new immigrants become part of their new home just the way community gardens do. I know that allotment gardens are more government-supported and less of a bottom-up grassroots effort than community gardens, which is a subtle difference but the only really consistent distinction I can figure out. I would be very grateful for anyone's insights. Is the government's role the only real difference? Or should they be considered two different entities, or one a subtype of the other? thank you so much. best, Kristin Faurest, Budapest --__--__-- Message: 3 From: "Betsy Johnson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, "ACGA Listserve" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: RE: [cg] c.g. or allotment? Date: Thu, 28 Jul 2005 09:40:17 -0400 Because no two community gardens are the same and no two allotments are the same, it is impossible to generalize differences. Based on the allotments I've visited in Berlin, an allotment may be generally larger than most community garden plots. As a result, these allotment had small cabins on the plots as well as garden space. While a community garden may have a gazebo, tool shed, or even a small building, each individual plot does not. In terms of government involvement, that varies as much among community gardens as it does among allotment. Others can add more. Best to hear from the European perspective. Betsy Johnson Interim Executive Director American Community Gardening Assoc. 877-275-2242 [EMAIL PROTECTED] -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Kristin Faurest Sent: Thursday, July 28, 2005 5:01 AM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [cg] c.g. or allotment? Dear everyone, I know i can always count on this listserver for brilliant answers, so here goes. I am in the process of finishing a dissertation on community gardens, and am trying to come up with an intelligent but simple explanation of what distinguishes a community garden from a European allotment. Some distinctions that I have read suggest that the difference is that allotments are individual parcels and community gardens are not, but I know that that isn't at all accurate, either. There's no distinctive socioeconomic group that either serves more than the other, as far as I know, and European allotment gardens often function as social centers or to help new immigrants become part of their new home just the way community gardens do. I know that allotment gardens are more government-supported and less of a bottom-up grassroots effort than community gardens, which is a subtle difference but the only really consistent distinction I can figure out. I would be very grateful for anyone's insights. Is the government's role the only real difference? Or should they be considered two different entities, or one a subtype of the other? thank you so much. best, Kristin Faurest, Budapest ______________________________________________________ The American Community Gardening Association listserve is only one of ACGA's services to community gardeners. To learn more about the ACGA and to find out how to join, please go to http://www.communitygarden.org To post an e-mail to the list: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your subscription: https://secure.mallorn.com/mailman/listinfo/community_garden --__--__-- Message: 4 From: "Jack Hale" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: RE: [cg] c.g. or allotment? Date: Thu, 28 Jul 2005 09:50:23 -0400 The most consistent difference is that if you are standing in an allotment garden, the Atlantic Ocean is usually to the west. For community gardens, the Atlantic is usually to the east. You might also say that the allotment garden movement is much older than the community garden movement. I hear there are allotments that have been around for hundreds of years. In the U.S., the earliest community gardens were developed in the early 1900's - typically victory gardens during World War I. I don't know if any of those have survived to this day. There are some children's gardens in Cleveland that are about that old, I think. Jack N. Hale Executive Director Knox Parks Foundation 75 Laurel Street Hartford, CT 06106 860/951-7694 f860/951-7244 -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Kristin Faurest Sent: Thursday, July 28, 2005 5:01 AM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [cg] c.g. or allotment? Dear everyone, I know i can always count on this listserver for brilliant answers, so here goes. I am in the process of finishing a dissertation on community gardens, and am trying to come up with an intelligent but simple explanation of what distinguishes a community garden from a European allotment. Some distinctions that I have read suggest that the difference is that allotments are individual parcels and community gardens are not, but I know that that isn't at all accurate, either. There's no distinctive socioeconomic group that either serves more than the other, as far as I know, and European allotment gardens often function as social centers or to help new immigrants become part of their new home just the way community gardens do. I know that allotment gardens are more government-supported and less of a bottom-up grassroots effort than community gardens, which is a subtle difference but the only really consistent distinction I can figure out. I would be very grateful for anyone's insights. Is the government's role the only real difference? Or should they be considered two different entities, or one a subtype of the other? thank you so much. best, Kristin Faurest, Budapest ______________________________________________________ The American Community Gardening Association listserve is only one of ACGA's services to community gardeners. To learn more about the ACGA and to find out how to join, please go to http://www.communitygarden.org To post an e-mail to the list: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your subscription: https://secure.mallorn.com/mailman/listinfo/community_garden --__--__-- Message: 5 Cc: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> From: "Libby J. Goldstein" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Re: [cg] c.g. or allotment? Date: Thu, 28 Jul 2005 11:53:19 -0400 To: "Jack Hale" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Jack, Actually, Philadelphia had a "Vacant Lot Improvement" program in the late 19th Century. It provided plots on vacant land (I think they were 1/7 acre) so poor people who were victims of a great depression then to grow their own food. I have a piece on it at City Farmer. Libby --__--__-- ______________________________________________________ The American Community Gardening Association listserve is only one of ACGA's services to community gardeners. To learn more about the ACGA and to find out how to join, please go to http://www.communitygarden.org To post an e-mail to the list: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your subscription: https://secure.mallorn.com/mailman/listinfo/community_garden End of community_garden Digest ______________________________________________________ The American Community Gardening Association listserve is only one of ACGA's services to community gardeners. To learn more about the ACGA and to find out how to join, please go to http://www.communitygarden.org To post an e-mail to the list: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your subscription: https://secure.mallorn.com/mailman/listinfo/community_garden
