Bountiful Backyard Gardens

Our first community garden, the OTR People’s Garden, was established in 1981 in Cincinnati’s Over the Rhine neighborhood. Since then, the CGC has built on that success, and today we have over 60 community gardens in a network that extends from Lawrenceburg, Indiana, to Covington and Newport in Kentucky, and to Clermont, Butler, and of course Hamilton Counties. One of the core beliefs of our Urban Agriculture program is that good nutrition is a right, not a privilege.

In recent years, we noticed a shift in the demographics of our neighbors and the communities in need of fresh, local food. In historically underinvested neighborhoods, the rising cost of living made it difficult for long-time residents to remain in their communities. It was from these roots that our Bountiful Backyard Program blossomed.

By moving healthy food sources to people’s doorsteps, this program aims to tear down the walls that keep people from healthy food. We’re making strides in two major areas: transportation and healthy food access. In 2025, we collaborated with several local organizations to build a community of backyard growers who faced food insecurities as part of a pilot program. After conducting site assessments to make sure the yards were able to produce a bountiful harvest, we tilled the land and installed several in-ground, elevated raised, and ground-level raised garden beds. But we didn’t stop there! Education is important if these gardens and gardeners are going to be sustainable. From teaching how to start seeds and identify pest and crop diseases to the basics of preparing healthy meals and much more, we did our best to set each participant up for success.

Our Bountiful Backyard Gardens program boosts food access by putting nutrition directly into the hands of our neighbors who need it most. In 2026, we grew the program’s success by inviting 10 more families, increasing our backyard garden network to 20. An abundance of healthy food is now in arms reach!

Bountiful Backyard Gardens typically opens for applications in the fall.