Growing Bexley

The phenomenon of community gardening first began in Detroit during the severe depression of the 1890s and has had multiple resurgences since then. Back then, Mayor Hazen Pingtree sold his prize horse to pay for gardening tools and created community gardens on unused land, calling his proposal the Potato Patch Plan. This successful model was then spread to other large cities, leading a gardening renaissance during the Great Depression of the 1920s. As years passed, the public gardens transformed into what's commonly known during wartime as Victory Gardens. During the '70s, decentralization of inner cities created more vacant lots affording grassroot movements more space to grow. Most recently, community gardens have built the foundation for an alternative food system known as the urban agricultural movement.

Sean M. McKay is a horticulturalist, urban farmer, and green educator and advocate at Franklin Park Conservatory & Botanical Gardens. | www.fpconservatory.org

The City of Bexley has two community gardens that are leased to plotholders on an annual basis. These community gardens also have "giving gardens" that provide supplemental fresh produce and herbs to the neighborhood and local food pantries.

The South Bexley Community Garden was started in 2009 and is set within Schneider Park. The North Bexley Community Garden was established in 2018 and is adjacent to the police station. In 2021, the gardens were presented with the Community Garden of the Year Award by Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens. These gardens are maintained by a leadership team consisting of OSU Master Gardener Volunteers and horticulturalists under the direction of the city. Like Mayor Pingtree, Mayor Kessler is a strong advocate for community gardens within the City of Bexley.