Garden: Benefits of a local community garden

Mike Hogan
·4 min read

Some gardeners enjoy the quiet solitude of gardening by themselves, alone in nature with the plants they love. Think Thoreau on Walden Pond!

Other gardeners prefer to garden with people, enjoying the benefits of gardening with friends, family, neighbors and other like-minded people. Luckily for these gregarious gardeners, there are hundreds of community garden projects throughout Greater Columbus which offer opportunities to grow vegetables, flowers and communities.

The International Harvest Garden in Columbus will be featured during the Community Garden Tour Series.
The International Harvest Garden in Columbus will be featured during the Community Garden Tour Series.

Many of these community garden projects are 10% garden and 90% community! And this summer, you can visit six of these community gardening projects during a summerlong tour of community gardens in Greater Columbus.

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Benefits of community gardens

Community gardens are a vital part of the local food system in Greater Columbus, providing tons of fresh nutritious vegetables, fruits and herbs for thousands of families each year. In addition to gardeners producing food for their own families, many community gardens produce food for neighborhood food pantries, churches, families and individuals experiencing food insecurity.

Community garden projects provide environmental benefits as well, from providing a source of food for pollinators, birds and sometimes some unwelcome wildlife to addressing climate change by storing carbon in the soil. The greenspace of a community garden helps to manage stormwater in the built environment and helps recharge groundwater supplies.

The physical and mental health benefits of community gardens can’t be overlooked as gardening is an excellent source of physical activity, especially for individuals with mobility limitations. Many community gardens also focus on educating youth about gardening, the environment and nutrition, developing life and job skills for youth.

Tour of community gardens

A summerlong tour of community gardens throughout Greater Columbus kicks off this Wednesday, June 26 and continues through Sept. 14. Sponsored by Ohio State University Extension and Greater Columbus Growing Coalition, the tour series is free and open to the public.

Six different community gardens, each with a different objective and target audience, will be open for public tours. Tours will be held as follows:

Mike Hogan
Mike Hogan

Wednesday, June 26, 6:30-8 p.m.: Bibleway SKIP Garden at 443 Highland Ave. in the Hilltop specializes in teaching neighborhood youth how to grow vegetables and start backyard gardens where they live. The garden includes 12 raised beds and also grows vegetables for food-insecure residents in the neighborhood.

Saturday, July 13, 9-10:30 a.m.: The Friends Garden at 924 E. Main St. on the Near East Side was started to serve individuals experiencing homelessness and has evolved into a safe and healing greenspace where neighbors grow food and community. The garden includes raised beds with vegetables, fruit trees, an herb garden, pollinator plants and a small rain garden. The garden provides neighbors and friends a place to socialize and be part of the community.

The Friends Garden on the Near East Side grows food and community, and will be open for touring during the Community Garden Tour Series.
The Friends Garden on the Near East Side grows food and community, and will be open for touring during the Community Garden Tour Series.

Saturday, July 27, 9-10:30 a.m.: M.A.S.H. Honor Garden at 5263 Harrisburg Pike in Grove City serves military veterans and service heroes in central Ohio. M.A.S.H. is an acronym for Military and Service Heroes. The project includes five food pantries which provide food to veterans, their families and surviving spouses. The Honor Garden in Grove City consists of 48 raised beds which grow vegetables and small fruit to supply the pantries.

Saturday, Aug. 10, 9-10:30 a.m.: Four Seasons City Farm at 913 E. Mound St. on the Near East Side converts vacant lots into gardens, creating a sustainable and cooperative food system and developing the neighborhood. In addition to cultivating plants, the garden project nurtures human connections, sustainability and a shared love for nature.

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Saturday, Aug. 24, 9-10:30 a.m.: South Side Family Farms headquartered at 1269 Wilson Ave. on the South Side was started to address food insecurity in a disadvantaged neighborhood. The project grows vegetables and fruit on four city land bank lots and in a high tunnel. The project seeks to positively impact the neighborhood and conducts gardening education programs and cooking demonstrations for both youth and adults.

Saturday, Sept. 14, 9-10:30 a.m.: International Harvest Garden at 1919 Frank Road in South Columbus is where new American and refugee gardeners grow food to feed themselves, family, neighbors and to share with local food pantries. Gardeners use traditional gardening from their home countries in this garden, such as rainwater diversion and growing crops, such as kerala, roselle, and janerik! The garden includes a large food pantry garden operated by Master Gardener volunteers.

Mike Hogan is Extension Educator, Agriculture and Natural Resources and associate professor with Ohio State University Extension.

hogan.1@osu.edu

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Garden: Benefits and tours of community gardens in central Ohio