Posted: August 04, 2026
July marked the height of our growing season, and gardens across Columbus had the opportunity to showcase their grounds in bloom!
The Franklin Park Conservatory Women’s Board, accompanied by Growing to Green, explored the gardening scene of Columbus, visiting a total of 4 community gardens over the course of the day. The tour showed the South Columbus growing culture, highlighting Bexley Community Garden, Southeast Urban Gardens and Farm, Garden District Community Farm on Ann, and Franklin Park Conservatory. Each garden revealed new gardening methods, ambitions, insights, and challenges. Ranging from issues with wildlife to access to water, the gardens expressed barriers to improving their operations, but all underlined the fact that their support networks have helped them overcome more than they ever imagined. Some were interested in finding ways to work with their challenges, to transform hardship into strength.
One garden leader, Ava Johnson, explained that the grounds she and her team operated on were prone to retaining water, causing puddling that would normally make gardening in-ground challenging. Despite this, the 6,000 square foot urban farm utilizes a combination of in-ground rows and raised beds with sustainable farming techniques to minimize crop flooding. Furthermore, she wants to build ecological education opportunities surrounding the retention pond just behind the garden space.
The Women’s Board took this tour ahead of Field to Table, a fundraising event that supports the Conservatory’s community, outreach, and education programming. Field to Table helps make it possible for programs like Growing to Green to aid and assist community gardens. You can find more information here about Field to Table or the Women’s Board!
