Madisonville Community Garden

History

In 1986, a local minister came up with an idea for a community garden. He made the suggestion to Dick Hague, a long time Madisonville resident. Dick contacted the Civic Garden Center of Cincinnati to see how to go about starting the garden. The Civic Garden Center helped Dick acquire a lease from the City of Cincinnati for a vacant lot located at 6007 Madison Road. Through the help of the Civic Garden Center and several volunteers, a local eyesore filled with trash and weeds was converted to a community garden. Local volunteers who helped Dick the first few years included Byron and Jodie Coaston, Missy, Ashley and Haven Eaves, Rick and Peggy Lisak, Chris Meyer, Bill Pollack, Marcia and Michael Richardson, Karen Roberts, Edye Fletcher, and Mary Ann Westendorf. Throughout the years, more than fifty students from Purcell Marian High School have worked at the garden to fulfill their community service requirements.

It seems the garden has always run on a shoestring budget. The gardeners pay an annual fee of $5.00 to rent two 10' X 4' plots. Several years ago, the Madisonville Community Garden was awarded the title of “ Most Independent Community Garden ” from the Civic Garden Center.

In 2002, several of our gardeners formed the Madisonville Garden Club. The purpose of the club was to meet other local gardeners and help create a positive image for our neighborhood. The club is responsible for placing 17 planter boxes in the business district and a small garden at the Little Duck Creek Nature Preserve on Settle Rd. The garden club meets once a month at the community garden to help maintain the common areas. Last year we decided to make the Madisonville Community Garden and the Garden Club one organization.