Community Gardens
Muskingum SWCD was awarded a $50,000 grant through the NACD’s Urban Agriculture Conservation Grant Initiative in 2016. With this funding, the Urban Greens program was created. The Urban Greens program started with three community gardens in the Putnam Historic District in Zanesville, Ohio. The original mission of Urban Greens was to provide fresh produce and gardening opportunities to those in the area designated as a “food desert”. As the program grows, we are transitioning our mission to focus on “Growing with a Purpose”. With this initiative, we are connecting with food pantries in the county to grow to their specific needs.
Follow our Urban Greens Facebook page about Growing Food, Growing Community. Together we're working to develop urban agriculture projects in Muskingum County.
Visit Us On FacebookBrighton Grows
The Brighton Grows Garden is located on the corner of Cliffwood Avenue and Baker Street beside Coopermill Manor. The garden has around 5,240 sq. ft. of gardening space split between three large plots. This garden was not an original Urban Greens Garden and was inherited by the Urban Greens program in 2019. One of the three large plots at this garden is designated to growing for the Veterans Association. Not only is the produce given to the VA, but the veterans themselves often work in the garden as well.
Restoration Park
There are 32, 4 ft. x 8 ft. raised beds at Restoration Park on Muskingum Ave. Community members can reserve these beds for their own personal use, whether that be vegetables, herbs, or decorative flowers. The Dollar General Warehouse donates bags of soil that can be used in the beds, if needed, and there is a water spigot on site. MSWCD can also assist with supplying some seeds to those reserving beds. The beds are assigned on a first-come-first-serve basis, and we have had a waiting list in the past, so sign up quickly when registration opens in Early March!
Zanesville Community High School Garden
The garden is located behind Zanesville Community High School on Moxahala Avenue. This garden started as an Urban Greens site that provided fresh produce to the Zanesville City Schools Summer Lunch Program. During the summer and fall of 2021, the site provided fresh produce for the Zanesville City School’s chef to use when preparing lunches for the district. The ZCS Vocational Agriculture Program, through the Mid-East Career Center, has taken advantage of this site and it now serves as an educational site for ZHS/ZMS students alongside providing fresh produce for Zanesville City Schools.
Marshall Greens Garden
This garden is a 3/4-acre site that is growing produce for the South Zanesville Food Pantry (SZFP), the second largest in our county, serving approximately 500 families and individuals a month. The SZFP received a grant to install two raised beds as demonstration beds at the pantry. Any individual interested will have the opportunity to learn how to grow food for themselves. Staff and volunteers have been working hard between the raindrops to get this garden planted.
Maple-Harding Garden
This site was previously used as a community garden but has sat vacant for the past several years. Therefore, it is requiring a lot of physical labor to get this site back into production. It will service the residents of another Zanesville Metropolitan Housing Authority site that is for senior citizens. Senior citizens will be invited to help in the garden, and a group of Boy Scouts has adopted this site as a project. Our hope is that the seniors can mentor the scouts in the garden. The food raised will be going to the housing residents and to the Coburn UMC food pantry. Work has just begun on Imlay Garden. Keep checking our social media sites to see the progress on this garden.
Growing With A Purpose
Urban Greens is starting to transition from simply growing produce and delivering it to a pantry to Growing with A Purpose. We are starting out with one partner for the 2022 growing season, the South Zanesville Food Pantry, to grow to their specific needs. The South Zanesville Food Pantry is one of 17 food pantries recognized by the Hunger Network in Muskingum County. Through discussions and surveys with their clientele, the South Zanesville Food Pantry is discovering what food is wanted by their community members. With this knowledge, we can focus on growing to the specific needs and wants of the community. We will slowly introduce new foods and teach community members how to prepare the food they may be unfamiliar with. Our ultimate goal is for these members to gain an understanding and appreciation of the food they are presented with, and eventually want to start growing for themselves in an urban setting.
Program Overview Fliers
Internships
MSWCD is looking for volunteer interns for the summer of 2022! If you are interested in applying or learning more about our internship opportunities, you can find the application HERE.
Volunteering
We are always searching for eager community members to get involved! We can always use the extra manpower, whether it be building things for the gardens, weeding the beds, sorting seeds, or giving thoughtful ideas. If you are interested in volunteering with Urban Greens contact the Urban Ag Specialists at Muskingum Soil and Water Conservation District at (740) 454-2027.
