| Especially for Columbus shipping
Many gardeners enjoy the quiet solitude of spending time alone under the chlorophyll of their choice. Still other gardeners perceive gardening as a team sport that is best played with neighbors, friends and family. Fortunately for those sociable gardeners, there are hundreds of community gardens in central Ohio that can grow both vegetables and communities at the same time. I want to say that community gardens are 10% garden and 90% community!
There are many different types of community gardens in central Ohio, from traditional property gardens where each gardener or family maintains their own bed or yard to community gardens where a group of individuals all tend a large yard and share the bounty produced .
Some community gardens produce vegetables, fruits, and herbs to help tackle food insecurity in certain neighborhoods, while others provide educational experiences for teens or professional and life skills for adults.
Many organizations in central Ohio sponsor or operate community gardens. Numerous district churches operate community gardens or provide them with funding or church land. Many cities and suburban communities operate or sponsor gardens because community gardens improve both the environment and the quality of life in the neighborhoods in which they are located.
Focus on education
The education of adults and young people is at the center of many community gardens run by schools and organizations. Each year, on the hill, the Highland Youth Garden teaches thousands of neighborhood teenagers about gardening, biology, nutrition and life as they fill their bellies with nutritious food.
Recently, many school districts have developed school and community gardens to provide opportunities for classroom enrichment and life skills to be imparted. Columbus City Schools operate a robust network of innovative school gardens that allow students to grow fall and winter gardens in more than 50 school buildings in the district.
Opportunities for New Americans
When they arrive in central Ohio, refugees from other countries bring agricultural and horticultural experiences from around the world to their new homes. Many of these families live in apartments or houses with limited garden space. For these families, the International Harvest Garden in southwest Columbus offers the opportunity to work with other New American families to grow the local food.
The International Harvest Garden is sponsored by the Franklin County Board of Commissioners and is the largest community garden in central Ohio with nearly 6 acres of cultivated space and groups of New Americans from different countries caring about the culture of their culture.
Important source of food
Community gardens are an important part of the local food system, supplying tons of vegetables, fruits, herbs and plants to thousands of families each year. In addition to gardeners who produce food for their own families, many community gardens produce food for neighborhood pantries, churches, and families suffering from food insecurity.
So if you are solitary gardening by yourself, consider joining a community garden in your neighborhood. To find a community garden near you, contact the Franklin County Office of OSU Extension at 614-866.6900.
Mike Hogan is an associate professor at Ohio State University and an extension educator at OSU Extension.
hogan.1@osu.edu
