Abstract:
Since the post war period, small-scale subsistence practices have been steadily
disappearing as a way of life for families across the United States. Spaces traditionally
used for home gardens have been replaced with the modern American lawn. However,
rising concerns surrounding issues of environmental degradation have led some
Americans to examine ways to reduce their daily environmental impact, especially in
regards to food production and consumption. Heightened ecological awareness is also
transferring to home spaces, where trends in home gardening suggest that fruits and
vegetables are becoming increasingly popular cultivars in domestic landscapes. Through
qualitative interviews with local gardeners, my thesis explores home gardens in
Humboldt County, CA uncovering the intimate link between knowledge, reciprocity and
community in our backyard environments. My research suggests that home gardens are
spaces of environmental engagement. In these spaces local ecological knowledge is
cultivated and reproduced and informal networks enable gardeners to participate in the
exchange of plants, materials, and harvests. These activities foster stronger social
connections to community and place. Gardens also exist as cultural spaces, where issues
of land use contestation and political ecology converge to form a varied landscape of human-environment interactions. While the health and wellness aspects of home gardens are well established, this research also suggests that home gardens are an essential part of
participant’s lives and function as home-spaces of dwelling, ritual and renewal. This
research shows that gardens are an integral and under-researched subject of everyday
environmental politics. Furthermore, this thesis examines the garden as a site of political
activism and explores the potential that these spaces have towards strengthening
connection to food and community.
