#Sweden’s Secret to Well-Being? Tiny #UrbanGardens.

By Ingrid K. Williams, July 13, 2025

"On an unseasonably warm June morning in Stockholm, Stina Larsson, 98, stood among fragrant lilacs, lilies and lavender, inspecting the garden that she has tended for more than 40 years. Rabbits had been nibbling the nasturtiums, she noticed, and there were weeds that needed pulling.

"Larsson’s garden, situated on a postage stamp of land beside the Karlbergs Canal, is one of more than 7,000 garden allotments, known as #koloniträdgårdar, in Stockholm. The gardens, established as part of a social movement around the turn of the 20th century, offer city dwellers access to green space and a reprieve from crowded urban life.

"Though most are modest in size — Larsson’s garden is about 970 square feet — koloniträdgårdar are prized for providing a rare kind of #UrbanSanctuary, a corner of the city where residents can trade pavement for soil and the buzz of traffic for birdsong.

"The garden programs were specifically designed to improve the mental and physical health of city dwellers, said Fredrik Björk, a lecturer at Malmö University who specializes in environmental history.

" 'The idea was that a working-class family would be able to spend the summer there and work together but also have some leisure and fun,' Björk said on the phone from his own koloniträdgård in Ärtholmen, a garden association in Malmö that dates back to the 1940s.

" 'In those days, there was lots of heavy drinking,' Björk said. But at the garden colonies, he said, 'instead of drinking alcohol, you would grow potatoes.'
"The health benefits of gardening are well established, both for the physical activity and for the time spent in nature. Cecilia Stenfors, an associate professor of psychology at Stockholm University, said her research shows that those who frequently visit green spaces, whether a forest or a koloniträdgård, 'have better health outcomes, in terms of fewer depressive symptoms, less anxiety, better sleep and fewer feelings of loneliness and social isolation.'

"These positive effects can be particularly pronounced in older people and can help combat symptoms of age-related mental and physical decline. Maja-Lena Säfström, 80, who owns a cotton-candy-pink cottage in a garden association outside of Uppsala, said she had seen many wellness benefits from having a koloniträdgård.

" 'When you’re in an apartment, you don’t move much, but if you have a garden, you move around in a different way, and that makes you feel better,' she said. Garden associations can also help foster social connection, Säfström explained, giving residents a chance to meet other people with similar interests."

Read more:
https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/swedens-secret-to-well-being-tiny-urban-gardens/

#UrbanGardening #GreenTime #GreenSpace #TinyUrbanGardens #SolarPunkSunday #BuildingCommunity #SpendingTimeInNature

#Poland - #UrbanGardens help cities fight #ClimateChange

By Andrei Ionescu
July 1, 2025

"Warsaw isn’t short on parks or tree-lined boulevards, but a trio of Polish universities wondered whether smaller, resident-run gardens could add something crucial to the capital’s climate resilience.

"To find out, researchers from SWPS University, Warsaw University of Technology, and the Warsaw University of Life Sciences mapped every vacant meadow, former orchard, and post-industrial lot within easy walking distance of apartment blocks.

"They came up with a staggering 1,864 hectares (4,600 acres) – more than enough space, they say, for a citywide network of community gardens that soak up stormwater, cool overheated streets, and capture carbon.

"The investigation combined that spatial analysis with more than 250 in-depth interviews. The goal was to see who is already gardening, what motivates them, and how much social capital – trust, shared norms, cooperative spirit – might be harvested alongside tomatoes and herbs.

Who uses the urban gardens

"It turns out the movement is surprisingly broad. Urban gardening brings together all social groups, the team reports, from school children planting pollinator patches to cultural institutions converting courtyards into micro-farms.

"Still, two cohorts dominate the regular volunteer lists: retirees – often women with higher education – and young middle class families.

"Most gardens revolve around a core group of 10 to 15 steady hands, supplemented by casual helpers and passers-by who stop to chat, water, or simply lounge among the raised beds.

Motivation of urban gardeners

"Why do they show up week after week? According to study co-author Piotr Majewski of SWPS University, the motivations of urban gardeners vary.

" 'The most important ones are: #reconnection to #nature, positive contribution to the #environment, social relations, and mutual learning between #gardeners,' said Majewski.

"Food, interestingly, is not the primary driver. Leaders said harvests help, but real value comes from #biodiversity, #composting, and public workshops on #sustainable living.

Tiny plots, big impact

"Those activities tally with an expanding body of international research linking urban agriculture to climate adaptation.

"Even pocket-size plots act as #CarbonSinks, trap particulate pollution, and soften the #UrbanHeatIsland. Raised beds can be engineered to hold back flash-flood water, while #compost heaps divert organic waste from #landfills.

"For #Warsaw, the numbers are compelling. Nearly all of the identified 1,864 hectares (4,600 acres) lie within a quarter mile of housing, meaning a potential garden is no farther than a ten-minute stroll for most residents – and often half that.

"Such proximity, the experts argue, makes it easier to harness gardens as a distributed #GreenInfrastructure network in a warming metropolis of nearly two million people.

"Yet the real strength may be social. Garden groups knit neighbors together, boosting the informal networks that cities rely on during #heatwaves, #floods, or other climate-related shocks.

"Many interviewees said they joined to cultivate community first, vegetables second. Regular workdays double as impromptu skill‐shares: retirees pass on horticultural know-how, children learn ecological stewardship, and newcomers forge local friendships.

#UrbanGardens in city plans

"Majewski and his colleagues believe Warsaw’s planners should take that social-ecological synergy seriously.

" 'The system of community gardens should also be considered as a tool to support climate change adaptation solutions in urban policies in spatial planning – provided that they are considered an important link in the urban green infrastructure system,' he explained.

"To get there, the researchers lay out a handful of recommendations. First, city hall could weave gardens into official zoning strategies rather than treating them as informal afterthoughts.

"That might mean leasing public land at peppercorn rents, streamlining permits, or integrating gardens into new housing estates from the design phase.

"Second, municipal agencies could supply starter kits – soil, timber, rain barrels – while leaving day-to-day management to residents. Third, wider publicity would help spread the idea beyond the usual eco-activist circles.

Scaling gardens citywide

"The study also flags areas for further research. At what point does a collection of isolated plots start delivering measurable cooling or flood mitigation benefits?

"How can Warsaw ensure that garden networks thrive in all districts, not just affluent ones with vocal community groups? And what responsibilities will fall on municipal departments when gardens become part of critical infrastructure rather than hobby spaces?

"Those unknowns aside, the evidence is clear: Warsaw already hosts a vibrant cohort of 'hero #activists' who coax life from overlooked corners.

"With modest institutional backing, their trowels and #CompostBins could double as #ClimateAdaptation tools – cooling concrete and absorbing rainfall.

"Perhaps most importantly, they help draw neighbors together in a city that will need every ounce of solidarity as temperatures rise."

https://www.earth.com/news/urban-gardens-help-cities-fight-climate-change/

#BuildingCommunity #ClimateChange #CityPlanning #Resiliency #SolarPunkSunday #UrbanGardens #SpendingTimeInNature #GreenTime

So, this isn't specifically #SolarPunkSunday-related, but it is #Gardening related. Many folks might know #GeorgeHarrison from his music, but did you know he was an avid #Gardener. (I did.) Harrison spent many hours working on his garden, finding inspiration, hanging out with his friends. He understood how being in #Nature restores the soul! If you're in the area, check it out!

#SarasotaNY: George Harrison: A Gardener’s Life

Jean & Alfred Goldstein Exhibition Series
On view February 9 – June 29, 2025
Downtown Sarasota campus
Tropical Conservatory, Gardens, The Museum of Botany & the Arts

"George’s love of gardening was an integral part of his identity. In an interview in Rolling Stone magazine in 1979, the renowned singer-songwriter described himself as 'just a gardener.' His strong association with gardening was further illustrated in his 1980 autobiography, I Me Mine, dedicated 'to gardeners everywhere.'

"In 1970, not long after The Beatles disbanded, the then 27-year-old George purchased the estate of Friar Park in Henley-on-Thames, a small town in the county of Oxfordshire, England. Built by an eccentric lawyer named Sir Frank Crisp in 1889, this once grand Victorian mansion with spectacular gardens had fallen into disrepair. With the help of his wife, Olivia Harrison, George was able to revitalize the neglected property, consisting of the mansion, lodges, and 32 acres of grounds. It was in this process that George’s love of gardening began to flower.

"George’s free approach to gardening combined creativity, spontaneity, whimsy, humor, and joy. This approach has inspired the exhibition at Selby Gardens, which combines a dynamic display of objects and ephemera in the Museum of Botany & the Arts with stunning horticultural vignettes in the Tropical Conservatory and throughout the gardens of the 15-acre Downtown Sarasota campus. Featured throughout the exhibition are a selection of George’s music and lyrics, as well as excerpts from Came the Lightening, a book of poems by Olivia Harrison dedicated to George and reflecting on their time together. The resulting multi-sensory experience highlights George’s connection to nature and celebrates his life and legacy through the power of plants."

https://selby.org/george-harrison-a-gardeners-life/
#GreenBathing #SpendingTimeInNature #TheQuietBeatle