From jungle to urban garden: a new community was born around Vanamonpuisto
Riitta Reponen and Irma Hellsten are looking the meadow flowers planted in a growing box at the Tesoma Neighbourhood Festival in May. The flowers are still blooming at the end of September, but the oregano planted by Riesa-Pelle looks a little wilted.
We are in Vanamonpuisto in Tesoma where a new community garden started this summer after a long-standing dream of Tesoma-Seura's members.
– Our community is very diverse. There are people of different ages and also different cultures represented. Children and dogs have been hanging around all summer. Farmers from babies to grandmas, different generations meet here, says Riitta Reponen.
There are different types of urban farmers involved, and they also have different goals for their farming. This, according to Reponen and Hellsten, is a great:
– An active wild herb enthusiast collects goatgrass and nettles, to others, they appear as weeds. One person has cultivated plants to improve the soil's condition. For others, it's enough to watch the flowers grow.
Working together to create a meeting place for people of all ages
Vanamonpuisto is an old urban farming plot of the city of Tampere, which has not been in active use for years.
Hellsten and Reponen estimate that the area has been under cultivation for at least 50 years.
– However, when the area was no longer an official city urban farming plot, a few active people continued to cultivate here. A few times in recent years there have been attempts to revive the activity, but the area under cultivation had shrunk to a very small area. Nature was taking over, it is always one step ahead, says Riitta Reponen.
The dream of a place where people of all ages could try farming and learn about growing food together was given a boost in spring 2024, when the City of Tampere's Carbon Neutral Actions development programme and 4H Tampere, which manages the city's allotment plot areas, got involved in thinking about how the area could be harnessed for community use. The development programme was able to provide assistance with planning and practical work.
– We had dreams, hopes and ideas for a long time, but if it hadn't been for the support and help, we would probably still be standing on the edge of the plot wondering where to start, Hellsten laughs.
– Together, the jungle became a urban garden, Reponen sums up.
An open community offers things to do for different people in Tesoma
Community members have visited the plot according to their own schedules, but there have also been joint events.
– The joy of seeing others succeed with their crops is a rewarding. The first summer of cultivation was challenging in terms of weather conditions. On the other hand, it teaches us that food does not come easily from the land. It has increased the courage and understanding of all of us farmers, says Hellsten.
Although the construction of the community garden started as a project of the Tesoma-Seura activists, most of the people who joined are from outside the association. The aim is to keep the community open.
– Through this, we have been able to offer new and different people interesting things to do on behalf of the association. Although the Tesoma-Seura has been the driving force behind this, it is now just another actor in the Vanamonpuisto community garden. We want to keep the community open and the activities resident-centred, says Irma Hellsten, who is also chair of Tesoma-Seura.
– The aim is to spread a sense of community, to encourage people to experiment. When new people come, new ideas come, Reponen adds.
In addition to enthusiastic farmers, you can also meet other creatures at the community garden:
– We live here in harmony with foxes, rabbits and deer!
Urban farming in Tampere
- Urban farming is an opportunity to produce local food, add exercise and mental wellbeing to everyday life and strengthen community spirit.
- Gardens and urban farming plots are a great way to promote the biodiversity in the city. Cultivation that nurtures biodiversity takes care of pollinators and the soil with its organisms.
- The City of Tampere has 14 allotment plot areas across the city. The Tampere 4H is responsible for managing the plots and renting them out to the city's residents.
- There are several community gardens in Tampere, usually run by an association or community.
