Take the opportunity to jump into your local community garden! From carrots and lettuce, to blueberries and strawberries, grow your favorite produce and teach your kids where food comes from BEFORE it goes to the grocery store. There are community gardens all over Central Ohio, from Clintonville to German Village, Pickerington to Grove City. The American Community Garden Association has a vast list of local gardens that you can join, along with contact information and basic details for each garden.
Choose one close to home, work, or house of worship, whichever will be easiest to visit often and care for the seeds you plant. Kids love to watch their food grow big and strong, and love to munch on fresh produce they’ve helped tend. Some parents find that even hard-to-sell veggies like spinach and cauliflower become eagerly devoured treats when you’ve watered and weeded them yourself!
Rules and requirement vary from garden to garden. Some church gardens require you to donate produce to food banks, some school gardens require that your child attend or that you volunteer a certain number of hours in the garden. Others are simply private gardens in a communal setting. Check with the contact person listed for a garden you’d like to join. They’ll have all the information and details you need.
Happy Gardening!
City of Columbus Community Gardens
