Community gardening forms one of the most common entry points for urban residents into sustainable food systems, with benefits that scale to the community level. Considering the broad range of benefits that community gardening provides, it is important to understand the factors that influence gardener recruitment and retention, as well as the ways in which gardener motivations change over time. This thesis uses photo-elicitation and thematic analysis of the resulting discussions to provide insight into the motivations of community gardeners in Greater Lansing, MI. It identifies nine prominent themes relating to the gardeners' experiences and outlines how gardening allows for connection to their families, communities, and natural environment. Additionally, this thesis applies Tadaki et al.,'s Values as Priorities framework to community gardening in order to elucidate the range of motivations that influence participation in gardening. Comparison with the literature finds that participants in this thesis largely reflect the values and motivations described in the wider literature, however, it is highlighted that the ways in which many of these motivations interact and link to form nested relationships. This led to the creation of three overarching motivational themes highlighting Social Connection, Natural Connection and Achievement. It is also identified how some motivations change over time, with gardeners expressing how their experiences of community gardening have influenced their goals and outcomes, with more emphasis on benefits generated throughout the gardening process.
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