Community Gardens Plant Seeds for Healthy Nutrition, Healthy Life

When Zandra Magabe participated in Knox Public Health’s Green Teen Garden pilot project last year, she learned far more than how to plant, maintain, and harvest a garden.

 “I learned how important it is to be healthy and nutritious,” said Zandra, a sophomore at Knox County Career Center in Mount Vernon. “I also learned there are so many different recipes you can make with vegetables that your diet doesn’t have to be boring to be healthy. I like having vegetables way more than what I used to eat!”

March is National Nutrition Month®,  a nutrition education and information campaign sponsored annually by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. The campaign focuses on the importance of making informed food choices and developing sound eating and physical activity habits, all of which are at the core of community gardens.

 “We saw rising interest in community gardens across Ohio and around the world during the COVID-19 pandemic, and we hope that interest continues,” said Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, M.D., MBA, director of the Ohio Department of Health (ODH). “The gardens put healthy, affordable food on the table. They get people up and about. They foster friendships, a sense of community, and social connectedness.”

They’re also valuable resources for local, sustainable food production, especially in “food deserts,” where access to grocery stores and healthy food is a challenge. Once established, well-organized community gardens – those with a sustainability plan and thoughtful partnerships – tend to have staying power, too.

In Southern Ohio’s Adams County, for instance, students in the Peebles High School Future Farmers of America club planted a garden at the school in 2014. A decade later, the Peebles School Sowing Seeds Garden is thriving. It was refurbished and expanded in 2021 with support from local businesses, benefactors, and volunteers across the community.

“Nearly half of the children in Adams County are overweight, and 27% are food insecure,” said Debbie Ryan, coordinator for the Adams County Creating Healthy Communities Program. “This garden puts fresh, healthy food in the school’s cafeteria, as well as in local food pantries and elsewhere when school’s not in session. It’s also an educational site that instills healthy lessons the kids can take with them for life.”

Knox Public Health is partnering with the Knox County Local Food Council for another Green Teen Garden this year in Arch Park.

With support from ODH and several community partners, the project also provides coaching and instruction in other life skills to prepare teens for the workforce and adulthood. Topics include cooking and canning, teamwork and problem solving, resume writing, job interviews, banking, and CPR.

“We want to teach them about health and nutrition, but also how to take care of their mind, body, and spirit,” said Tami Ruhl, the Creating Healthy Communities program coordinator for Knox Public Health. “A community garden is a great way to do that, and the teens really enjoy it.” 

Refurbished and expanded in 2021, the Peebles School Sowing Seeds Garden in Adams County includes raised beds, grape arbors, a drip irrigation system, and other features that produce fresh fruits and vegetables for Peebles High School and others in the community.  Photos contributed by Adams County Healthy Communities. 

Starting a Community Garden

AARP offers a free toolkit entitled Creating Community Gardens for People of All Ages, available for download at this weblink.

Also, be sure to explore potential partnerships, funding opportunities, and other available resources through public and nonprofit organizations, including local health departments, neighborhood associations, and community groups, churches, schools, libraries, and farming organizations. The Ohio State University Extension offers a directory of local extension offices around the state that might be of assistance.                                                        

You can search for your local health department on the Ohio Department of Health homepage.

For information about ODH’s Creating Healthy Communities program and related efforts to increase access to healthy foods and opportunities for healthy living, visit Ohio Department of Health's Health Promotion webpage.

Community Garden Statistics 2024

• Community gardens increase surrounding property values by up to 9.4%.
• Average community garden yields about 20.4 servings of fresh produce per 11 sq. ft.
• Community gardens can lower household food security concerns by up to 90%.
• Every $1 invested in a community garden yields around $6 worth of produce.
• Community gardens have a positive impact on neighborhood security.
• There are over 29,000 community gardens in the 100 largest U.S. cities.
• Community gardeners eat 37.5% more fruits and vegetables than non-gardeners.
• Common reasons for garden participation are access to fresh foods, health benefits, and to enjoy nature.
• Women community gardeners are 46% less likely to be overweight than their neighbors.

Source: Community Garden Statistics in 2024 (Latest U.S. Data)