Communal veggie gardens are flourishing in luxury housing estates in South Africa.
These green spaces are redefining community living, offering residents a chance to participate in sustainable practices and connect with their neighbours.
One of the latest estates to boast a veggie garden is Ballito Hills in Ballito where residents have free access to fresh homegrown herbs and vegetables.
Another under way is the Schrebergärten (Community Garden) at Serenity Hills eco-estate on the KZN South Coast.
Serenity Hills development director Sam Wenger has drawn on his Swiss heritage for the Schrebergärten – a community garden that brings people together by growing and sharing fresh produce.
“Land has been set aside for the creation of the Schrebergärten. This concept has historical roots stretching to 1800s Germany where patches of land on the outskirts of cities were transformed into community havens providing food security, support and a chance to connect with nature. While many people may have their own gardens, we’ve seen this trend re-emerging to bring people together in a relaxed, healthy environment,” said Wenger.
“Our plan is for interested residents to contribute and draw from our Schrebergärten, with fresh produce also used in food production for our local communities and the on-site award-winning Packshed restaurant.”
Debbie Harford from Balwin Properties said as more people adopted eco-friendly trends and looked for simpler, more relaxed ways of living, their aim was to promote a healthy, happy, eco-friendly lifestyle.
“We like our residents to also become part of the community that they’re living in. There’s a lot of different facilities in the lifestyle centre and the veggie garden is one aspect of it. Also once there’s a Lifestyle Centre, there’s normally a restaurant, so the restaurant would also make use of the produce as well.”
Harford said while anyone was free to help themselves to the produce, at times they closed the facility to give the plants a chance to grow.
She said the success of the garden also hinged on their planting timelines as the demand for produce increases.
“At Ballito, the cabbage bed is growing like crazy at the moment, while the lettuces are just starting to come up. So it just depends what’s planted, when it’s planted and how often people are using it. If it’s quickly depleted, we have to plant quite quickly, but it obviously takes a little bit of time then for the plants to grow again.”
The complex’s general manager Brendan Austin said they had planted an array of vegetables, including lettuce, cabbage, chillies, lemon trees, coriander, carrots, onions and thyme.
“A lot of people are making use of the veggie garden. I see them going to that section quite a lot and they think it’s a nice initiative. I only feel that it’s not big enough for the number of people we actually have on site.”
Austin said a greenhouse of at least 10 x 10 square metres would be perfect.
Balwin Properties KZN general manager Kyle Gallagher said community gardens offered residents numerous advantages like access to fresh organic produce and saving money.
“With growing concerns about pesticides and the environmental impact of mass farming, these gardens allow residents to know exactly where their food comes from, encouraging healthier eating habits and reducing dependency on store-bought produce,” he says.
“These shared activities cultivate stronger relationships between neighbours and create a communal space where residents of all ages can connect, share knowledge, and enjoy the fruits of their labour together – literally and figuratively,” said Gallagher.
He said the environmental benefits of communal gardens were substantial. Estate communities with gardens could reduce their carbon footprint by minimising the need for transportation and packaging.
These veggie gardens also promote sustainable practices such as composting, water conservation and the use of organic fertilisers.