The ambitious national research project by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) will create an in depth report on community gardening, which the charity believes to be a crucial but unwritten ‘public service’.
For the Community Gardening Survey, the RHS is looking for the participation of groups or individuals involved in gardening outside of private and commercial gardens, the results of which will be collated in to a report on gardening in the UK, scheduled for publication in October. The findings will ultimately help the RHS and other organisations to better support community gardeners in the future.
Clare Matterson, RHS Director General, said: “We know that gardening in the community can contribute to a reduction in crime, help drive better health outcomes for residents, and boost the local economy. Understanding where community gardening is happening and the form it takes – organised or other – will help in mapping this vital, public service and open up new potential avenues of support for building greener and more sustainable communities.”
Community gardening
According to the RHS, UK data on community gardening is currently limited. The RHS works with approximately 5,000 community groups estimates there to be thousands more, doing invaluable work across the nation. Indications suggest that recent years have seen an increase in the number of community gardening groups, particularly in urban areas. This growth, says the RHS reflects the increasing recognition of gardening as a tool for addressing socio-economic and environmental challenges.
Community gardening has evolved over the decades, beginning with small grassroots initiatives and now also encompassing larger, organised networks that collaborate with local councils, charities, and environmental organisations. While many groups still focus on growing fruits and vegetables for the community, their scope has broadened to include everything from promoting mental health, enhancing biodiversity, and fostering community cohesion, for example by engaging with schools or vulnerable groups. As well as thousands of groups, there is also an increasing number of individuals who have taken on sole responsibility for a plot of land that serves the needs of local people.
Sarah Galvin, RHS Head of National Community Programmes, said: “Community gardening is at the heart of creating greener, healthier, and more connected communities but the shape and structure of it is changing. On the one hand large scale and organised and at the other individually motivated and maintained. This survey is an opportunity to understand the incredible breadth and diversity of community gardening across the nation.”
Participants in the Community Gardening Survey can opt into an RHS prize draw for a chance to win one of eight £125 gardening gift vouchers, the winners of which will be notified by the RHS on Monday, the 7th of April 2025.