Encouraging private gardening

Community garden Emma’s Hof, The Hague, The Netherlands © Nelleke Mineur

More than half of the urban area is privately owned. In order to green the city and create awareness among citizens regarding climate adaptation and biodiversity, it is important to stimulate private owners to green their property as well. This can be done, for example, by stimulating removing impervious surfaces and greening, planting trees in the garden for shade and planting hedges as a yard boundary.

Food can also be grown on a small scale: by planting a square metre garden, by creating a mini-garden on the balcony and by planting a vegetable garden.

© Pascal Vyncke

How large should a vegetable garden be?

Measurements of production gardens per person

Partial self-sufficiency:

25 m2  (Vegetables, fruit and herbs, including paths and composting)

Extensive self-sufficiency:

70 m2

Complete self-sufficiency:

170 m2 of which:

  • 20 m2 for vegetables for immediate consumption
  • 40 m2 for preserving and potatoes
  • 100 m2 for fruits and nuts, and
  • 10 m2 for paths and composting
Kitchen garden in the city Delft, The Netherlands © Albert Dijkhuizen