Gardens, Growing, and Goodies in store for families during National Garden Week June 5-11

Gardening is one of the most popular hobbies in the United States, with 77% of all American families getting their hands dirty digging in the soil, according to the National Gardening Survey.

Gardeners in the US spent $47.8 billion dollars on gardening supplies in 2021, spending an average of $503 per person.

In recognition of the environmental, health, nutritional and community benefits of gardening, June 5–11 has been designated as National Garden Week, with special activities and programs planned throughout the United States as well as in Greater Columbus.

Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, Greater Columbus Growing Coalition and Ohio State University Extension have teamed up to plan Seven Days of Gardens, Growing, and Goodies for families in Greater Columbus.

Free day at Franklin Park Conservatory

National Garden Week events in Columbus will formally kickoff with a free Community Day at Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens from noon to 5 p.m. Sunday,  with free entry for Franklin County residents. All exhibits at the conservatory will be open for guests, and tours will be conducted at the Community Garden Campus.

The Children’s Garden at the Conservatory will feature free activities for youth including a seed-planting make-and-take activity. OSU Extension’s Master Gardener volunteers will be on hand to provide free gardening resources and answer questions at their Ask a Master Gardener booth.

Greater Columbus Growing Coalition will give away free seeds and plants during the event.

Week of garden tours

Gardeners will have the opportunity to learn about different gardening practices and techniques at a series of community garden tours scheduled during National Garden Week.  All tours are free, open to the public, and require no advance registration.

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Throughout the week, gardeners will be able to visit gardens as varied as a backyard permaculture food forest in Linden, the award-winning Highland Youth Garden on the Hilltop, a backyard market garden in Berwick that produces food for hundreds of families, and Franklin County’s International Harvest Garden in Southwest Columbus,  where immigrant communities from around the world grow foods native to their homelands.

A complete schedule of the 12 community garden tours with GPS addresses is available at go.osu.edu/nationalgardenweek2022.

Garden Party at OSU

National Garden Week activities will conclude with a Garden Party at Waterman Farm located on the campus of The Ohio State University on from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. June 11. The Garden Party will feature tours of Master Gardener volunteer gardens located on the farm including a butterfly garden, a hummingbird garden, pollinator research plots, a large rain garden, a community food garden, the Ross Heart Hospital Garden and a large home vegetable trials garden.

Wagon tours of the 261-acre farm and research facility will take Garden Party-goers to see the farm’s herd of Jersey cows, apple and pawpaw orchards, bee yard, crop research fields, and turf grass research plots. Free activities for youth will include a scavenger hunt on the farm and a seed-planting activity.

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The Garden Party will feature educational programs and displays on gardening topics such as container gardening, beekeeping, composting, pollinator gardens, and an Insect zoo.

Master Gardener volunteers will be on hand to help visitors solve their toughest gardening challenges and food trucks will be available for hungry guests. Greater Columbus Growing Coalition will distribute free seeds, plants and other gardening resources at The Garden Party. All activities at The Garden Party are free of charge, including parking.

Whether you are an experienced gardener with a green thumb or a novice gardener, you will find helpful resources and fun family gardening activities at National Garden Week events and activities.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Free activities offered in Columbus during National Garden Week