Tomatoes, veggies and herbs are sprouting from Berlin
parks, a shopping mall rooftop and even a
former airfield in community
gardens that pioneer farmers say add green spice to urban life.
Perhaps
the best-known city gardens are on the former Tempelhof Airport, almost
the size of New York’s Central Park, which hails from the Nazi era and
became the site of the Cold War Berlin Airlift.
In
the shadows of its grand terminals, between cracked runways and disused
towers, the green-fingered now lovingly tend to organic rucola, chilli
peppers and bean sprouts grown in elevated wooden crates.
In
summer, cucumbers, celery and basil grow in the shade of sunflowers in
these vast urban community gardens. A beehive set among the plots
recently produced the first batch of honey stamped “Tempelhof Airport”.
During
the day, the hobby farmers work with wheelbarrows, shovels and garden
hoses. At sunset, their mud-caked hands grasp cool cans of beer to
celebrate the collective spirit of their grassroots movement.
One
area, “Allmende-Kontor”, takes its name from a medieval form of
community gardening, while its neighbour “Ruebezahl Garten” is named
after a folklore mountain spirit known from legends and fairy-tales.
But
the movement has spread far across the once-divided German city. In the
district of Wedding, a group is now planning to grow carrots and
strawberries on the roof of a supermarket, the latest of the Berlin
rooftop gardens.
“The idea is to grow vegetables but
also to join in a group project, do something together, it’s a place
where everyone takes part,” says Burkhard Schaffitzel, one of the
founders of “Ruebezahl Garten”.
“People come from all
walks of life, from Turkish immigrant to students to retirees,” added
Gerda Muennich, one of the leaders of “Allmende-Kontor”, which has about
300 tenants and a waiting list of another 200.
‘Politics in the lettuce patch’
Plants
are grown in above-ground containers because the city does not allow
permanent plots, but also because growers want to avoid potentially
contaminated city soil and even unexploded ordnance from the war.
While
rough plywood boxes are standard, other gardeners opt to rear their
fruits and vegetables in more unusual settings, including cooking pots,
old shoes, a hiking backpack and on an old office chair.
At
the garden in Tempelhof, a ‘town square’ has sprung up where a bicycle
repairman has set up shop in a battered old caravan and gardeners enjoy
their home-grown fare with barbecued sausages.
“The
kitchen garden is not just a place for self-subsistence but also to
learn about communication with urban planning services and the
neighbourhood,” said sociologist Christa Mueller, who has edited a book
on urban gardening.
Community gardens grew up in big
cities, in part, as an anti-poverty tool in blighted neighbourhoods and
have swept the globe as the world’s population grows more urban.
While
the enthusiasm for them is not specific to Berlin, it has mushroomed
here since the 1989 fall of the Berlin Wall blessed the city with scores
of derelict spaces and vacant lots.
“London and Paris are saturated. Here, there is still room to plant vegetables,” says Mr. Schaffitzel.
For many, creating a community garden is also a mission in social responsibility.
“We
do politics in the lettuce patch,” laughed Ms. Muennich who, having
spent her career in front of computer screens, has opted instead for
planting pumpkins and cabbages.
“It feels a bit like a
little town. It’s about participation and collective decision making.
This small piece of land that I cultivate is a small piece of the city
that belongs to me.”
Mr. Mueller, the sociologist,
said the guerrilla gardens are a counterbalance to fast-paced modern
society where people “claim public space for the common good”.
At
the same time, they show that they want to eat and consume differently
and nurture not just veggies but also social, cultural and biological
diversity.
— AFP
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