Gardens & Trees

These two words sum up so much of what we do at the Civic Garden Center.

Gardens

At the CGC, gardening is in our roots. Whether you’re a community gardener, a hobby gardener or a professional-level horticulturist, spending time digging in the dirt and caring for your plants brings many proven benefits—and we're here to support you.

Our Community Gardens program works with neighborhood residents to create community gardens, providing training and technical support for growing fruits and vegetables to create sustainable projects for the entire region. Beyond improving food access, community gardens are a safe and comfortable environment for community members to come together, fulfilling many of the same roles as a community center or public park. They can also be a source of neighborhood beautification, economic stimulation, and a place to develop new skills.

Our School Gardens program provides students with a real-time look at how food is grown. Children of different ages receive regular lessons in the garden, learning how to grow, harvest, and prepare a variety of fruits and vegetables. In an era when kids are increasingly sedentary and childhood obesity rates have risen dramatically, gardens offer time outdoors and encourage healthful eating as key components of children's physical wellbeing, which can improve their academic and social success, too.

 While gardening itself does not generally fill major gaps in the food supply, helping more people grow food—in a way that centers equity—can lead to healthier people and communities. Gardens alone cannot fix America’s problems with preventable lifestyle diseases and food equity issues, but they are a great place to start.

All of our garden education takes a sustainability/ecosystem approach to gardening, prioritizing soil and water conservation, native plants, invasive species control, and pollinator conservation. The goal is to make choices that will benefit wildlife and conserve natural resources while growing plants for our own nutrition and enjoyment. With this approach, we share the benefits of our gardening with the planet!

Are you preparing to plant your first veggie garden? Looking to start a community garden? Learning about horticulture? Hoping to use fewer insecticides and pesticides? The CGC offers classes, workshops, lectures and online resources that provide everything from basic how-to information to cutting-edge techniques useful to gardeners of all levels, ages, and interests.

Trees

Trees matter—even more than you'd think.

 What other piece of infrastructure can single-handedly reduce pollution, prevent flooding, provide food and shelter for wildlife, reduce crime, lower energy bills, improve physical and mental health, AND be beautiful to boot? They're also a smart investment: for every $1 invested in trees, we gain an estimated $3 to $5 in ecosystem benefits.

 Trees are so important that supporting them is now a key part of our mission. Learn more about what the CGC and other local organizations are doing to support Cincinnati trees and how you can help.

What interests you?

At the CGC, you can learn about horticulture, grow food at home, get involved with a community garden, explore opportunities for K-12 students, or learn more about our Treeforestation habitat restoration program.