BrunnenGärten Community Gardening

Between Mauerpark and Brunnenstrasse, Gesundbrunnen station and Bernauer Strasse, greenery is thriving everywhere: at the base of trees, in raised beds, courtyards and parks, and even on rooftops. In the Brunnenviertel-Brunnenstrasse neighbourhood management area of Berlin Mitte, many residents have been busy gardening. Over the course of about five years, we supported and trained these gardeners, and together, we created new green oases. BrunnenGärten – Enhancing Green Spaces in the Community was funded by the Social Cohesion Programme. We supported local gardeners and projects by providing advice, information and essential infrastructure, as well as organising many gardening events.

We mapped the diverse green spaces and potential areas for new gardens to gain a better overview and tracked down and connected with the many urban gardeners in the neighbourhood. Our gardening advice sessions not only provided an opportunity to ask questions, but also helped local gardeners and groups to network with each other. Local residents were invited to join in a range of events, from workshops onconstructing worm farms to seed exchanges and planting seed bombs. In addition, we organised green walks, inspiring lectures, planting campaigns and many other opportunities to come together in the newly created gardens. In 2018, the Brunnenviertel Garden Show (BruGA) was supported by this project, and in 2020 BrunnenGärten community gardens took over running the event. Many gardeners opened up their gardens to the public for the weekend.

Participatory gardening campaigns spruced up the greenery at many sites in the area. We supported the creation of new urban gardens – from getting interested residents involved and planning new gardens, to constructing and planting raised beds, and providing advice throughout the gardening season. We created a courtyard garden (Elstergarten), a rooftop garden in Graunstrasse and we constructed raised beds (BrunnenBeete) at different sites around the neighbourhood. In close cooperation with the Roads and Parks Department in Mitte, we replanted a rose bed in Swinemünder Strasse and found local gardeners committed to taking care of it. In response to suggestions from the local community, we also created two bee-friendly meadows in the neighbourhood.

A strong neighbourhood network has emerged thanks to active gardeners from Elstergarten, the Gleim Oasis, the planters at Vinetaplatz, the new rose beds, and the Graunstrasse roof terrace, alongside many other BrunnenGärten gardeners. The Brunnenviertel Association – an important local partner and a multiplier in the neighbourhood – will continue to run the BrunnenGärten network, even after the project ends. The association will organise the equipment pools, as well as future garden meetings and events, such as the seed and plant exchange and the Brunnenviertel Garden Show.