Low-calorie, nutrient-dense foods like fruits and vegetables are staples in a calorie-controlled diet. While a variety of fresh, frozen, and canned fruits and vegetables can be found at most grocery stores, many people find pleasure in growing their own. Others, however, lack the time, space, or know-how to build and maintain a fruit/vegetable garden. If that's you, consider a community garden.

A community garden is any piece of land gardened by a group of people. It can be urban, suburban, or rural; it can be one community plot or several individual plots; and it can be anywhere - a school, a hospital, a neighborhood. According to the American Community Garden Association (www.communitygarden.org) the benefits of a community garden include: 

In addition, a community garden can help teach children (and adults!) about eating healthy foods; children and adults, alike, are more likely to try new foods if they've been involved with their growth, harvesting, and/or preparation.

While building a community garden doesn't have to be a huge undertaking, it does require careful planning and preparation. The American Community Garden Association (www.communitygarden.org) provides a step-by-step guide for building a community garden as well as a searchable database of community gardens throughout the United States. Locating a community garden in your state or with your same purpose (i.e., school garden, church garden) may be helpful in providing suggestions for sponsorship, recruiting volunteers, identifying a site, and problem-solving issues like difficult weather and vandalism.

Urban harvest (www.urbanharvest.org) is another great web site for finding motivation and resources for starting and managing a community garden.

If you've participated in a community garden, please share your experiences and most helpful resources here. What was most rewarding about being part of a community garden? What were your biggest struggles?