A program of Franklin Park Conservatory, Growing to Green is Columbus' largest organized effort to promote and provide free community resources for community gardening and city beautification.

Started in March 2000, Growing to Green has assisted in the start-up or renovation of more than 90 community gardens throughout the central Ohio area. While most are community gardens, others are school gardens, memorial gardens, and neighborhood beautification projects.

Through Growing to Green, the Conservatory manages two community gardens on the park grounds—the Franklin Park Demonstration Garden, which works as an educational resource and classroom for community gardeners, and the Franklin Park Community Garden, which includes community plots available to local gardeners for the Columbus and Franklin Park neighborhoods.

Since its inception, Growing to Green has risen to national acclaim and, in May 2006, Franklin Park Conservatory became the national headquarters of the American Community Gardening Association.

Growing to Green is now looking far into its future. The program is a major part of a comprehensive master plan to expand the Conservatory’s facility, create more community gardens, and renovate the park’s original caretakers’ cottage for community gardening education.

School Gardens

Growing to Green provides design assistance and program support to Columbus area schools interested in creating a schoolyard-learning garden. Growing to Green can even refer you to ways of using it effectively and making it part of an established curriculum. If you are a teacher or school official and would like to find out how you can start a school garden, call 614.645.5952.

How to Start a Community Garden

Would you like to start a community garden, but don’t know where to begin? Growing to Green’s resources can facilitate your quest to start a community garden or beautification project in your neighborhood.

Scotts Urban Garden Academy

The Scotts Urban Garden Academy is an educational and funding program made possible by a partnership with Scotts Miracle-Gro and The Columbus Foundation. The Scotts Urban Garden Academy offers a series of courses designed to provide the skills and resources needed to successfully implement and sustain a community garden. These in-depth classes are taught annually at Franklin Park Conservatory.

Community leaders organizing neighborhood development through community gardening can obtain funding through the Scotts Urban Garden Academy grant program. Grant recipients are required to attend the Scotts Urban Garden Academy courses. For more information about grant opportunities and application deadlines, call The Columbus Foundation at 614.251.4000.

Columbus Community Gardening Resource Guide
You can also learn more about community gardening through Growing to Green’s Columbus Community Gardening Resource Guide. The Resource Guide is a comprehensive collection of useful information on all aspects of community gardening. It includes funding sources, a guide to land and resources provided by the City of Columbus, gardening fact sheets, and more. To obtain a copy, call 614.645.5952.