Borrowed Land
Despite all the benefits, community gardens face many challenges. Many garden groups do not own the land they tend. City governments -- and the real estate market -- generally do not value garden space and some communities have to engage in near-constant struggle to stay on their land. (Though a 2006 New York City study showed a significant increase in property values near community gardens.) Unlike many other public services such as housing or public health, gardening does not have an established funding stream. Additionally, soil pollution from heavy metals can be a serious health risk to urban gardeners, and it can be expensive to clean a garden lot of contaminants.


