If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you’ll know that one of my favourite topics centres on plant life, gardens and the like. I seldom get a chance to grow things myself – I think I have moved around too much to have put down literal roots. So rather, like a bee, I tend to flit about visiting others’ growing projects, photographing, reporting, and lavishing praise and admiration on worthy projects.
If you’re interested, I’ve laid out a guide to past posts below, and then followed it with some photos from my first community garden sighting in Nanjing, China.
The Guide
- Community Gardens in China
- Community Gardens in North America
- Farmers’ Market Recommendations
- Bees Alive! – my bee blog and web site
- My Gardening Endeavours in Southern Quebec
The First Sighting
I’m now living on the northern edge of Nanjing. It’s not exactly countryside, but it certainly isn’t the middle of the city either. This area is rather unlike any Western city I’ve lived in or visited in that where I live is completely surrounded by colleges and universities. Miles and miles of gated campuses. Needless to say, it is rather strange and a topic for another post.
So, the other day, I went walking around outside the gates of my particular campus and happened across a rather charming garden space. It was situated behind a set of very rusty, disused gates. I’m guessing that the space belonged to one of the neighbouring campuses, but was overseen by some minor staff members living on the grounds. I didn’t see anyone working the garden, but it was fairly well tended and organized. Enjoy the photos below.
We have been to NJ last year. Don’t know they have such nice veggie patches. Where in NJ?
It’s a little east of the Qixia area towards the east end of Metro Line 2. Kind of an interesting area. You’re ‘out there’ and there is some lovely scenery, but you still have decent access to the city. I’m determined to find some great, urban gardens, and I will definitely be posting photos when I do!
“Miles and miles of gated campuses.” ?? …. I can’t imagine what that must be like.
This is such a lovely secret garden and so lush for an “autumn” garden.
It is very strange indeed. I truly have no idea how many higher education facilities they have here, but it seems like a lot. My little institute is relatively unknown, from what I gather, and it has 13,000 students. It is hard to wrap my head around this being from a country of 34,000,000 people. Drop in the bucket over here.
The gardens are interesting. They are often so inspiring, but quite often surrounded by rubble or something nasty. I love finding these places. I know they are a dying phenomenon, though. It is most often older folks who create and tend these gardens. Most younger folks are pushed towards education of the formal sort rather than continuing the traditional connection to the earth. They are quickly following in the West’s footsteps…
Great first paragraph and thanks for the link – just what I was looking for.
Fabulous. Please enjoy! There will be more.
Interestingly, as an aside. Things have been in full production, but we just had our first frost the other day. I’m curious to see whether there was much damage…