My favourite reading is food blogs and my favourite Berlin food blog is Stil in Berlin.  The author gets around,  and reviewed the food in the community garden, Prinzessinnengarten.  I thought it was clever to serve some food in a garden so went for a visit,  but found a lot more than I anticipated.

The main difference between this garden and every other garden I’ve seen is that it’s full of people.  The first reaction I had was a very emotional resonance.  The social energy on the site triggered memories of the struggling to save the South Central Farm,  when we were just putting bodies there as much as possible.

The central area of the garden is a picnic forest.  Saplings and tables offer a spacious and tranquil environment for intimate chats,  study,  and groups.  Food trucks and sheds circle the tables,  serving espresso,  meals,  and beer.

The outer ring of the garden houses a series of centres.  About half of the circle is garden proper,  with all the very healthy and productive plants growing in containers.

The other centres are materials storage,  an upcycling workshop centre,  gardening education with starts for sale and books to read,  and construction areas.  Two international teams were hard at work. An American group was creating a building. An Asian group was methodically dealing with palettes, a three-table array of power tools at the ready.

The striking thing about this garden was its multidimensionality.

Interviews with some of the founders.