Private gardens are difficult to access for many in the grand duchy. For those people, community garden can be a solution. The Greenfingers Club, which is among the many gardening initiatives in Luxembourg, was founded in 1977 by British expats. Nowadays, it welcomes people of all nationalities. The only two conditions are that they need to speak English and that they are interested in gardening.

Workshops, visits to gardens in the grand duchy and abroad, and in-door presentations during the colder months--the Greenfingers Club wants to attract all people from beginners to experts, whether they are interested in ornamental plants or practical vegetable patches. With about 100 members, the club organised a summer fair this year to encourage more people to join. “We keep our membership fee low to keep it accessible,” Hampton says.

NGOs like natur&emwëlt have also offered workshops on sustainable gardenings in collaboration with Hampton’s club.

More than just planting seeds and trimming bushes

Hampton herself has a lot of experience under her belt. In the past, she completed a gardening course before opening her own gardening business. By the time she had moved from the city to the countryside, she became interested in community gardens.  

“The social aspect [of community gardens] is very important,” says Hampton. “It’s been a great way of getting to know people locally. We have a lot of meetings, and they are very international and all very lighthearted.” Most of the contacts she made through gardening are now friends, who look after each other’s pets and gardens while on holidays.  

During covid, the gardens were a saving grace for the groups too. But the return to normal has been tricky, as newbie gardeners need assistance, and members of community gardens have been catching up on travelling once the borders opened up again. The extreme weathers witnessed in the last years--a mix of heavy rains and scorching hot days--have also challenged the greenthumbed community.  

“Our gardens are a story of ‘persistence pays’. It took a real push to get the gardens in the first place, and there was so much scepticism about whether it would even work. It’s currently going through a phase of reestablishement, as the pandemic has put some rocks in the way, but “it will continue to grow and succeed because we have a few determined members who want it to work,” Hampton says reassuringly.

Surfing the net, finding communities

How to pick a community garden to join, then? With all the information floating around on Facebook and the internet, it could be difficult to find one that is close and that fits.

Thankfully, “there is a portal for community gardens--called ,” says Hampton. “The City of Luxembourg has community gardens as well. There are so many different ones, and there all so different: some have private fundings, some are part of a municipal initiative.”  

And for those who don’t find their luck on Eisegaart and are interested in ecological transition matters, Hampton recommends signing up to the Centre for Ecologocial Learning Luxembourg () newsletter.  

You can find out more about the Greenfingers Club .