Four ways to create community through gardening this fall

Community centers on fellowship with others, especially around a common interest. At Florissa, there is nothing we love more than seeing a community gather and grow together around a shared love of gardening and the outdoors. We get to delight in our online community of readers that share in horticultural information and knowledge with us. But there is nothing better than gathering in person, in real-time – building relationships and bonding over a love of all things plants!

The benefits of community are huge! To name a few: increased support, shared knowledge, building relationships with people we trust, a safe space to be ourselves, a sense of belonging, improved mental health, and a chance to interact with others with different views and experiences.

We’ve compiled a list of our favourite fall garden-related activities that are more fun and joyful when done with others – check out these activities, enlist your neighbours and watch your relationships grow!

Bulb planting party

This activity is especially great if you have young families and kids in your neighbourhood. Toddlers usually end up with a fist full of dirt in their mouth, but that is all part of the learning experience. Visit your local garden center, pick up some bulk bulbs (usually the most cost-efficient way to purchase them), and some soil. Tell your neighbors that this event is BYOC (bring your own container) and gather on a sunny, crisp fall afternoon to make bulb planters together. If rain is an issue, roll up your garage door and make it an indoor/outdoor party! All you need are tables, a couple of trowels and some creativity. This is a great activity for families with young children as it gives kids an outlet to get their hands dirty and learn about how things grow. Hand out some hot chocolate post-potting and admire your bulbs nestled warm in their containers. For more information on planting fall bulbs in pots, check out our helpful guide.

Canning in community

One of the great joys of gardening is harvesting and collecting a bounty of fresh food. What a privilege to have months of hard work pay off in the form of armfuls of healthy, fresh fruit and vegetables! Often, we are left wondering how to best make use of it all. You may process and freeze some of your harvest, or you may give some away to friends and family. But an excellent way to preserve your harvest for colder months ahead is by canning it.

Generations of families have stored food this way (you may even have memories of helping can beans, cucumbers for pickles and more in your grandmother’s kitchen). Today, canning parties have become very popular again as families look for ways to save costs and eat more locally. Grab your freshly picked apples and host a canning party in your local community! Not sure where to start? Check out the Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving at your local library. Ask all participants to contribute a necessary ingredient or piece of equipment (whether it be fresh produce, mason jars, canning labels or a recipe). Set a date, pick a location with a large kitchen and enjoy working together with neighbours, family and friends. It’s hard work, but the load is made lighter with many hands to help.

Neighborhood lawn planting

Interested in some low-maintenance plants that will instantly improve curb appeal? Try planting some naturalizing bulbs like crocus, fritillaria, snowdrops, or anemones. Knock on a few doors and try to coordinate with your neighbours. A surprisingly large number of perennial bulbs do well when planted in grass and provide gorgeous spring colour with little effort. Year after year, they will emerge in spring, and multiply. Perhaps your neighborhood can coordinate around planting a few matching colours? A shared theme of interest might come up such as native plants, or pollinator-friendly bulbs.

Ideally, a neighbour would put together an agreed-upon budget and purchase a selection of bulbs to be shared amongst the neighborhood families. Set up a workday where everyone can plant their respective share of bulbs together. Not sure about taking on a neighbourhood planting project? Autumn is also the best time to plant grass seed and take care of some fall yard maintenance. Why not work on yard care for fall with a group of neighbours – we have lots of suggestions for fall clean up jobs that will get you started. Cooperation isn’t something we’re used to when it comes to landscaping. And yet, this can be a fun project that will beautify your community while you get to know your neighbours better.

Long table dinners that support local farmers

Extremely popular during the summer months, we’re starting to see some organizations host long table dinners in the early weeks of fall. A long table dinner focuses on family-style dining while sharing ideas, passing food, creating bonds and celebrating the bounty of the season. Often celebrating eating locally grown ingredients, a long table dinner usually centers around a menu that supports the farm-to-table concept and leans into the outdoor garden aesthetic. With a focus on fresh food that is inspired by what’s in season, this could be a great opportunity to invite your neighbours to a delicious dinner while supporting local farmers. Excellent company and a beautiful outdoor setting, what could be better!?

Are you curious as to where you can find a long table dinner in your local area? Here are a few places to get you started:

The most unique farm to table experiences across Ontario

Long table dining on Vancouver Island

The Old Red Barn Farm to Table Dinners in Alberta

Other ideas to help build community?

Enlist your neighbours, get organized and have fun!

• Pumpkin carving competition
• A volunteer visit to your local Gleaners
• Shared community orchard for apple picking
• Visiting local u-pick farms

In our world today it is hard to prioritize in-person connection. If you’re reading this, it’s fair to say that you love plants and gardening. You know from firsthand experience that the feeling of submerging your hands in dirt, watering the fresh spindly roots of a new plant and interacting with nature around you provides a steady, calm attachment to the world that benefits your overall sense of self. Similarly, setting out to intentionally interact with neighbours across the street can be hugely beneficial as well. Working towards a shared goal while relating over fun experiences gives us a sense of peace, belonging and connectedness. Life is meant to be lived together, and we can’t think of a better way to do that than to share a love of gardening and nature!