We applaud the citizens who are looking to revive Harvard’s community garden. Oil prices are soaring and food prices are starting to climb. The farther food has to travel to get to our tables, the more expensive it will be, making locally grown foods increasingly attractive. Last year a group of citizens formed the Harvard Farmers’ Market, bringing more local food choices to town. A community garden provides an opportunity to build on this theme and offers the chance for people—adults and children alike—to cultivate the skills needed to grow their own food, skills that some say have been lost to time and convenience.

People may wonder why—in a town where the average house lot consists of two acres—a community garden would be of value. But not all house lots are suitable for gardening, and some people may not be willing or able to take on the gardening challenge alone.

A community garden could be a wonderful place to experiment with permaculture concepts, planting not only annual vegetables, but also fruit-bearing shrubs, nut-bearing trees, and perennial vegetables. It could be a place to try out grain-bearing plants, such as wheat, or lesser-known amaranth.

Participating in a community garden provides a chance for people to learn from each other, share in the work, share in the harvest, and build kinship and a cooperative spirit among neighbors. It also offers the possibility of people working together to help provide food for neighbors who are not physically capable of growing their own and who are increasingly challenged by climbing food prices.

The idea is a good one. How it plays out will be worth watching.