Gardeners, however, consumed less fruit, especially citrus fruits and juices, than controls. They also consumed less milk products, sweets and sweet drinks. According to Diane Relf of Virginia Polytechnic Institute, a leader in the study of people-plant interactions, researchers have found that plants and greening activities play at least three distinct roles in community development. These translate directly into the tangible economic and social benefits of reduced crime, higher property values, nutritious food from community gardens, and increased business activity in attractive, green neighborhoods. A survey by Rutgers Cooperative Extension of participants in their urban gardening program revealed that 13 percent of the participants said the gardening activity improved their neighborhood.
Gardening is a healing art.
To begin with, it heals the Earth. For the gardener, toiling amid the beans and sweet corn heals the body, while watching Nature's cycles heals the mind and soul. Gardening can even heal a community's spirit, as do Cleveland's shared neighborhood gardens, which reclaim abandoned lots and return them to public benefit. A study at Rutgers University confirmed that community gardens get people talking to one another. Interviews with participants in the New Brunswick Community Gardening Program in New Jersey revealed that having a garden significantly increased the frequency of interaction among gardeners, even outside of the gardening season.