Planting roots: How a community garden could look like in Revillage

An idea that keeps coming back to us and feels more and more like the potential heart of the Revillage community is a community garden. A place of shared purpose where new people in the village can work on something together with the local community, where kids can roam freely, and where we can create a space that becomes the heart of Revillage.

One of our big dreams for our own family life is to experiment with being together with our kids in a different way. Instead of it always being activities designed for kids, we would love to walk down to a community garden where we can do some work and help create something, while the kids can either help out or play freely. The upsides of free play and being outside are almost too obvious to mention, but I can really recommend reading this article about a Finnish experiment on bringing nature into nurseries.

It’s also core to the Revillage idea that we want to truly connect with local people. We want to do Revillage with the local community. A community garden could be an investment from the Revillage community into the local community, shared by both new and old inhabitants. We would love to see a young parent planting trees alongside an older local resident.

Imagine a huge bonfire place in the community garden with auditorium-like seating - perfect for fireside talks. 

In Traveling Village we’ve learned how valuable co-creation can be. It makes a community stronger when people feel they can contribute and affect the project. At the same time, we’ve also seen how co-creation can become messy if it’s too open. We’re passionate about finding the right balance between pre-planned and co-created, allowing people to take part in ways that fit their life and family.

A community garden feels like the perfect element for that balance and something that could bring a lot of good to the community:

• It’s a shared, neutral ground, separate from our own homes and lives. If there’s something we don’t agree on, it’s not a big deal.
  It’s low risk financially and practically for everyone involved. If something doesn’t work out, it’s not a catastrophe.

• It creates a space where both new and old inhabitants can meet, connect and work on a shared project.

• It allows for different levels of involvement, where some can contribute more and some less.

• It offers a place where kids can play wild and free.

• It’s more than a playground. It can produce food and become a space for gatherings and activities.

We’ve visited a few community gardens and found so many inspiring examples.The pictures on this page is from one of our biggest inspirations, “Foundringens Have” in Denmark. Our dream is to create a place that people take pride in, help design, and make their own. How it will look in the end will depend on the people involved.

Some of the ideas we like so far:

• A vegetable garden that actually produces food

• A small fruit orchard

• Shelters for overnight stays

• A big bonfire area with auditorium-style seating for fireside talks

• A nature playground

• Open grass fields for playing

• A large outdoor kitchen with a fireplace and prep area

• Lots of cozy corners for hanging out and picnics

• An outdoor pavilion for shade, rain, and shared activities

An outdoor kitchen in “Forundringens Have” in Denmark

If we get the right people involved, we’re sure even more ideas will come up, like mazes, sensory trails, bee hives, mud kitchens, and much more.

A community garden could quite literally be a simple way for people to plant their roots. Getting your hands dirty and creating something together could be what helps people truly feel connected to the place. And at the same time, the creation of a community garden could be a shared symbol of how far the project has come together.