He said some residents have been known to pinch potatoes, kumquats, roses and even earth from the garden which is surrounded by only a 50-centimeter-tall fence. However, such incidents of petty vandalism have become fewer over time, he added.
At Green Court Residence Jinqiao Diamonds Shanghai, a serviced apartment complex on Huangyang Road in Pudong, a former parking area was converted into vegetable beds.
In summer, butterflies flutter among the leafy greens and flower beds attract selfie-takers.
Li Qingpeng, executive director of Heshundadi Agritech Co, which specializes in sustainable agriculture and runs the garden designed by the Clove Nature School, said harvests are shared among residents.
“The hardest part in running a community garden is attracting enough resident participation to keep costs down,” he said.
In Xuhui District, community vegetable gardens have also enjoyed a good yield beyond just crop harvesting.
One example is Meilong Sancun, a residential complex where an area once strewn with garbage was turned into a veggie patch.
In 2012, the residents received seedlings in yogurt Tetra Paks from the neighborhood committee in a go-green campaign. The campaign led to the creation of a 350-square-meter garden and adjacent greenhouse the next year.
“This project was just a first step for us in making green culture a lifestyle,” said Chen Xinyin, head of the committee.
Meilong Sancun is now an exemplary neighborhood in terms of waste reduction and recycling. The green thumbs have even published a book on community plants and calendars on when to plant. Picture books encourage children to think about nature.
The neighborhood proudly hosts the Green Housewife Environmental Protection Instruction Center, a nonprofit private organization promoting community gardens.
Just a few streets away, a vegetable garden at Hualiyuan — a converted garbage site inspired by the “Green Housewife” — recently doubled its space to about 200 square meters.
Cauliflower, oilseed rape and cabbage harvested from the garden are donated to needy residents in the neighborhood, including elderly who live alone, disabled people and couples who have lost an only child.
“A harvest of 1.5 kilograms of cauliflower might be consumed in a few meals, but the caring attitude toward residents carries on,” said Ma Duanna, head of the neighborhood committee.
Elsewhere in Shanghai, “edible gardens” have even taken over public spaces.
At the Century Park in Pudong, a 1,000-square-meter community garden area will reopen for public planting next month after renovation work is done.
A large commercial vegetable garden project created on the rooftop of CapitaMall Qibao in Minhang District has also drawn wide interest and favorable comment.
