Now that spring has sprung, we’re here to herb your enthusiasm with a roundup of community gardens to cultivate your green thumb.
Whether you’re looking to work with a group and share the fruit or solo grow your harvest, these local spots are tilled and ready to turnip this growing season. 🍅
Many community gardens offer seed share programs and community shared tool sheds, but check with each garden for specifics.
🥕 Crabtree Farms, 1000 E. 30th St.
Two-thirds of the 30 beds at Crabtree’s community garden are reserved for Clifton Hills + East Lake neighbors. While the remaining beds are currently full, you can still help during the monthly Saturday volunteer projects and reserve beds for the future.
- Cost: Free to those living in 37407 + 37410 zip codes, $120 per year otherwise
- Getting started: Email Lauren Russek
🥕 Hart Garden, 110 E. Main St.
Hart Gallery — a nonprofit that sells art created by local folks experiencing homelessness + other nontraditional artists — also has its own community garden. Cultivated veggies are used by the gallery to supplement lunches for artists (but people can help themselves to any overflow).
- Cost: Free
- Getting started: Fill out the volunteer form to help (they’re currently seeking volunteers), but anyone is welcome to come to the garden.
🥕 Jefferson Heights Community Garden, E. 19th St.
While this community garden is technically only available to those who live in or near the neighborhood — aka, no picking food if you’re just visiting — those in the area can join in on the fun.
- Cost: Unknown
- Getting started: Join the Facebook Group
🥕 Neema Taking Root Community Garden, 2407 E. Main St.
This community garden — located in a food desert — is often seeking any + all volunteers to help with weeding, preparing beds, watering plants, and more.
- Cost: Free
- Getting started: Keep updated via Healing Gardens Cha’s Facebook page
🥕 Sanctuary Gardens, 4707 12th Ave.
Sanctuary gardens serve as “a safe space for all” by bringing people together through gardening. Produce is used for Sanctuary’s café, as a means of additional funding, and to provide food for those in need.
- Cost: Free
- Getting started: Connect via the Sanctuary Gardens Facebook page
🥕 Bonus: While the program is currently on pause due to COVID-19, the Hamilton County Health Department awards grants to community teaching gardens as part of its Step One program, if you’re interested in starting your own community garden.
