I first got involved in community gardening in New York City in the late 1990s. As well as nurturing plants, that meant protecting these spaces from development in a rapidly gentrifying city. It was here that I first understood how important green spaces and places to grow food are for densely packed urban communities - both human and non-human. I brought these values with me to London where I helped create and maintain a community garden and orchard in Hackney. I am currently working at a community centre in Newham that supports refugees and migrants, setting up a brand new growing space for people to put down roots in their new city.