List of Neighborhood Gardens

Thanks to TomatoFest for being THE SOURCE of a fantastic variety of tomato seed for our Neighborhood Gardens Program. They carry over 500 varieties of certified organic, open-pollinated tomato seeds.

Community Garden Development Training Series

CGDT provides community residents with technical assistance, leadership training, horticulture education and start-up materials. Classes are offered each year beginning in October and ending in April. For more information, please call the Neighborhood Gardens Coordinator at 513.221.0981 ext. 16.

CGDT 07-08 Schedule Revised 10-05-07

Application

Neighborhood Gardens Program

Our award-winning Neighborhood Gardens Program is one of the Civic Garden Center 's longest-standing community outreach efforts. Starting with a pilot garden in 1980, we were formally established in 1981 to assist community groups, primarily in low-to-moderate income neighborhoods, in converting blighted vacant lots into beautiful and productive community food gardens and parks. Neighborhood Gardens provides groups with technical assistance, leadership training, horticulture education and start-up materials to help them successfully organize, plan, build and sustain their gardens.

Twenty-five years of experience has demonstrated the practical value of these projects:

• Community Gardens offer participants direct access to fresh, nutritious produce.

• Community gardens bring people together, helping to build the bonds of community.

• Cleaning up and converting blighted vacant lots improves the image of the neighborhood, how people feel about it and about themselves.

• Reports show that this kind of community involvement can actually help reduce vandalism and bring down crime rates.

• Participation teaches the practical value and benefits of community and environmental stewardship.

• Community beautification can help raise adjacent property values and attract new residents and businesses to the neighborhood.

• Community garden programs teach participants self-reliance and a variety of skills useful in running the gardens and in other aspects of community work and family life.

• There are potential economic benefits, as gardeners of all ages have the opportunity to participate in local farmers markets and develop marketable products from their garden.

• Gardening offers a valuable resource to agencies working with clients to provide horticultural, occupational and recreational therapies.

• The gardens lend themselves to a wealth of creative educational opportunities for schools, daycare centers and neighborhood youth.

• Gardening provides unique recreational outlets and a healthy source of exercise for people of all ages.

• Numerous health studies show that gardening positively impacts body, mind and soul, benefiting participants from both active and passive involvement.

How does the community benefit?

The first community garden was the Over-The-Rhine People's Garden, built in 1980. Since then community gardening has blossomed all across greater Cincinnati. There are dozens of these magnificent green and growing areas throughout the city.

Cleaning up and converting blighted, vacant lots improve the image of the neighborhood, how people feel about it and about themselves. These lush green spaces create a nurturing refuge, often in places where there are no other parks or green space available.

Community gardening brings people living in these neighborhoods together, helping to rebuild the bonds of community. Neighborhood residents who participate have direct access to the fresh, nutritious produce these gardens provide.

These gardens turned eyesores into beautiful community spaces where residents take an interest in their surroundings, interact with one another, and above all build community.

- Cincinnati Police Department Sgt. Stephen Saunders

“The end result is a cleaner neighborhood and a safe and positive place for members of the community to work together, creating a permanent place of beauty and community.”

- Cynthia Brown, Farm Shed Manager, Findlay Market

“These programs provide valuable education and community interaction to youth and adults across our City, and provide consumable vegetables and plants for the gardeners and their neighbors.”

- Deborah C. Holston, Assistant City of Cincinnati Manager