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summer

STAFF Vickie Ciotti x12Executive Directorvciotti@civicgardencenter.org

Karen Kahle x30 Development Directorkkahle@civicgardencenter.org

Terry Houston x18Executive Assistantthouston@civicgardencenter.org

Mary Dudley x35Youth Education Coordinatormdudley@civicgardencenter.org

Kylie Johnson x16Green Learning Station Coordinatorkjohnson@civicgardencenter.org

Greg Potter x11Community Gardens Coordinatorgpotter@civicgardencenter.org

Kat Schlenker x19 Finance Managerkschlenker@civicgardencenter.org

BOARD OF DIRECTORS Thanks to these folks for overseeing the CGC operations and for the direction they provide:

Greg AllenJames AllenPatrick EdmundsKelly LyleKevin O’DellSusy SpenceNancy StrasselSusan SturgeonJanelle Watson

LOBBY HOURSMonday–Friday, 9a–5p;Saturday, 9a–4p; Closed Sunday

Admission to the facility and Hoffman Library is free.

513 221-0981 (p)513 221-0961 (f)www.civicgardencenter.org

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ON THE COVERIt’s summer, with its long, relaxing days filled with radiant sunshine and deep blue skies.

From I-71 South

• Take William Howard Taft, Exit 3. • Turn right on Reading Road at the White Castle. • Turn left on Oak Street and then an immediate left into the parking lot.

From I-71 North

• Take Reading Road, Exit 2. • Turn left on Oak Street and then an immediate left into the parking lot.

DIRECTIONS

Civic Garden Center, 2715 Reading Road, Cincinnati, OH 45206

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Executive Director’s Message

Greetings From The President

Hauck Society

Donations

Community Gardens

Green Learning Station

Calendar

Profiles

The Civic Garden Center’s QuarterlyKaren Kahle, PublisherGary Dangel, Designer

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summer

www.civicgardencenter.org 1

Sue Sturgeon President, CGC Board of Directors

I was trying to remember my very first Community Gardens Tour. I was 9 months into the job, so I was well acclimated, but still experiencing some “firsts.” We held the Tours on Sunday afternoons in those days. I remember an awful lot of nervous preparation in the month leading up to the event – were the gardens in good shape, did the invitations get out early enough, did we reserve enough buses? The sites for the 24th Annual Tour, in 2005, were West McMicken, West End, and Dater Montessori. At West McMicken, I recall walking through the lovely wrought iron arch into the space. It was a bit like Alice through the looking glass, transitioning from a busy City street into this beautiful and peaceful space. There was an abundance of tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers growing, along with beautiful flowers. By the way, this Garden is on this year’s Tour, and is celebrating its 20th year! The West End Garden was hosted by Project Connect, which offered support services for homeless children who attended the school across the street from the garden. The garden provided a place for the students to learn about growing their own food and experience a little solace in their otherwise chaotic lives. There were plant markers painted in children’s handwriting and other bright and colorful evidence that kids were in this garden. I remember being led by my hand to favorite plants with unrecognizable names. Dater Montessori was a different space – fruit trees had been planted and there were raised beds for vegetables and flowers. It had a much more orderly feel to it – not better, just different. Students greeted us and took us in small groups around the garden to show us the results of their hard work. They took so much pride in their work. I felt, and have had this sentiment echoed by others throughout the years, that I really had no idea what the Community Gardens Program was about until I went on my first Tour. That concept of “building community” was simply words until I experienced it first-hand. I could not have known the community and self pride those humble spaces cultivate until I experienced it. I could not have understood the sense of place those spaces represented without setting foot into the gardens. This year’s 33rd Annual Tour was a great success! I hope you’ll join us again next year to experience the Community Gardens Program, first-hand.

Hello everyone!

Summer is finally here! I suppose, we’ll soon enough be longing for those rainy spring days which saved us so much on our watering bill this year – even though spring did include some teasing tastes of summer weather. This is the season when gardens produce more than color, with plump tomatoes, crisp corn, and endless zucchini adding freshness to our tables. Participants in our 33rd Annual Community Gardens Tour were able to see CGC’s community gardens in high season. My very first encounter with the Civic Garden Center was, in fact, a Neighborhood Gardens tour while I was still working full time. A dear friend from work invited me along for the ride that July evening to see what community gardening was all about. I had just returned from six years in Asia and freely confessed to be starved for a chance to garden again. There was no time and literally no space for that during my assignment. We visited three gardens that day, but I cannot remember which ones since I’ve now seen many more of the 60 in the CGC fold. In retrospect, that tour and remembering my Dad’s rose and tomato gardens at home, were key influencers for the path I’ve taken since retiring: becoming a Master Gardener and volunteering at CGC. As we celebrate the 75th Anniversary of the Civic Garden Center, it is most appropriate to also celebrate the more than 37 years of training and mentoring community gardeners throughout our region. We have set a goal this year to grow to a total of 75 community gardens. All indications are that we will succeed based on the size and intent of our last CGDT class and the donations we are receiving to provide the funds to help create and sustain those additional gardens. One final memory to share to get your juices going for community gardens. Would you agree there is still nothing better than a sandwich made with thickly sliced tomatoes straight from the vine in your own garden with a little salt and pepper on Wonder bread? I remember we had to eat those fast before the tomato juices shredded the bread! Ah, summer! So, I wish all of you a happy, healthy summer filled with big juicy tomatoes, crisp greens, golden ripe corn, and, yes, zucchini and okra fresh from your garden or a farm stand nearby.

All the best,

Vickie Ciotti Executive Director

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’SMESSAGEVickie Ciotti

GREETINGSFROM THEPRESIDENTSue Sturgeon

Civic Garden Center – Summer 20172

Housed in an office building in downtown Cincinnati from 1942-1951, the Civic Garden Center moved to its current home in Avondale in 1951 when Cornelius J. Hauck generously donated land from his beautiful “Sooty Acres” property. In keeping with the spirit of Mr. Hauck’s

generosity, the Hauck Society recognizes the major financial contributions of $1,000+ to the Civic Garden Center with year-long membership in the Hauck Society. All Hauck Society members receive an invitation or two to the annual Hauck Society celebration in late fall.

MAGNOLIA LEVEL $10,000+AGAR, LLCAlison G. Herschede

Cathy Caldemeyer

Charlotte R. Schmidlapp Fund, Fifth Third BankCrosset Family FundDuke Energy FoundatonJohn & Betsy LaMacchiaLucile and Richard Durrell Special Fund IIMeshewa Farm FoundationSmale Civic Garden Center Fund of The Greater Cincinnati FoundationSue Sturgeon*United Entertainment GroupWohlgemuth Herschede Foundation

BEECH LEVEL $5,000 - $9,000Andrew Jergens FoundationAnonymous Fund of The Greater Cincinnati FoundationArthur & Maria MotchMargie & Lou Rauh

Terry Lemmerman

William S. Rowe Foundation

POPLAR LEVEL $2,500 - $4,999Anthony & Sally WoodwardArleene KellerBruce S. & Caroline Taylor FundBrad & Marsha LindnerBruce S. and Caroline C. Taylor Fund of The Greater Cincinnati FoundationDianne & David RosenbergGraham Edwin & Sharon Janosik Mitchell Foundation

Greater Cincinnati Master Gardener AssociationGreen UmbrellaJay Shatz & Stan Elliott*Lucile and Richard Durrell Special Fund III of The Greater Cincinnati FoundationPricilla HaffnerSmale Civic Garden Center FundTerracycle US, LLCWard & Sarah Bahlman

ELM LEVEL $1,500 - $2,499Alva & Dr. Leon Reid*Cincinnati Town & Country Garden Club*Cortney Scheeser & FamilyDaisy Kattan*Ellen & Clark Sole*Jane & Ron KoppenhoeferJudi GravesKathryn Shahani*Lily & Liam Allen*Marjorie Rauh Garden Intern EndowmentPatricia & Don Hinkley*Phillip & Whitney LongSandy & Dick ManteuffelScripps Howard FoundationTerry LemmermanTom & Donna Anderle

HAUCK SOCIETY

The Sutphin FamilyFoundation

75TH ANNIVERSARY PREMIER LEVEL $20,000+

The Sutphin FamilyFoundation

Fifth Third Bank, Trustee

JUDY MITCHELL

**

ANONYMOUS DONOR

www.civicgardencenter.org 3

OAK LEVEL $1,000 - $1,499Amy & Vince Stross*Andres BeeAndy & Kendall Lallathin*Anne Warrington Wilson*Barb & Lee Bolton*Betsy Townsend*Carol & Carl HuetherCGC Dirt CrewChris & Dawn Hock*Christine & Wayne Lippert*Cortney Scheeser & FamilyMargaret Wyant*Dave & Kathy Doel*Diana DwightDianne & J. David Rosenberg Fund of The Greater Cincinnati FoundationEileen Barrett*Elizabeth StoneEllen Sole*Federated Garden ClubFelicia DeRita Hueber*Felicia DeRita Hueber*GE FoundationGrandin Properties*Greater Cincinnati FoundationHelen & Stephen Rindsberg*Jake & Jen Ragland*James AllenJane Garvey*John & Barbara BloomstromKevin O’DellLewis & Marjorie Daniels FoundationLPK*Marcy Gruen*Margaret & Michael ValentineMark & Kym Kuenning*Mary Bishop*Mary Pat LienhartMatthew McFee & Jared QueenMichelle Dragga*Phloxy Ladies Garden ClubPhyllis & Bill AugspurgerPhyllis Crawford*Richard & Carol WilsonRichard & Vanessa Wayne*Rob & Dulany Anning*Ron & Barb DeNamurSuki Skidmore & Tim Kane*Tom & Dee Stegman*Tom & Pam Donnelly*William D. Stenger*

$300 - $999Benevity Community Impact FundBonnie RettigBrackets for Good, Inc.Civic Garden Center General Endowment FundHugh PattonJane & Ron KoppenhoeferKaren Sills

Nancy StrasselRhett LeiRick NolandSamantha Bohnert

$150 - $299Brian ParrishChemEd CorporationDeborah HallMarci CatanzaroJane and Ron KoppenhoeferPhyllis AugspergerSandra ManteuffelThe Plant Trolley

$75 - $149Barbara RothBarbara WeyandBeth MizelleChristine DavidsonCortney ScheeserFred Klaiss & Gail MyersGerri SimmonsHelen BlackJoAnn CoderJohn SteeleJudi GravesKroger Community RewardsLinda SiekmannMartha SeamanNorman KattelmanPatricia CulpSandra MatlowTerry Houston

$35 - $74Anne Ingalls LawrenceConnie & Robert BoothFibonacci Brewing Co, LLCGretchen & Robert DinermanJacquelin Smith & Jim MooreJoel McCrayJohn MitchellJohn PinneyJulia and Don SchrickerLuensman Property Holding, LLCMaggie LeonMary Ellen LovettMary SchwarkNancy LuensmanRachel & Luke Steele RobinsonRon & Patty ReitzSusan Fremont

ADDITIONAL GIFTSDaniel FolletteGregory AllenJeanna SmithKaren KahleKaren & Robert RippLohre & Associates

Marjorie MotchPatricia AshcraftQuinn GulleyRichard ZinicolaSusan Glas

HONORARIUMSCarl and Carol HuetherLynn Marmer

GARDEN CLUB & PLANT SOCIETY MEMBERS Garden Club & Plant Society MembersBonsai Society of Greater CincinnatiCincinnati Judging CenterCincinnati Town & Country Garden ClubDes Fleurs Garden ClubDirt Plotters Garden Club*Four Seasons Garden ClubGarden Club of CincinnatiGreater Cincinnati Orchid SocietyGreater Cincinnati Wild OnesGreen Grubbers Garden ClubHerb Society of Greater CincinnatiLiving Seed CompanyShaker Farms Garden Club

* Adopt-a-Garden Donors** TPS Sponsors

IN-KIND GIFTSAstrid & Matthew Bess SturgillChuck SchrammClara BergerCynthia SenefeldEmily BeckmanFrisch’s Restaurants, Inc.Greg Terhune & Rob WachendorfJeanette McCarthyJerome & Cheryl WignerJerome GlinkaJohn Albachten, Ohio Woodturners GuildJoshua EastlakeJudi GravesJudy MitchellKaren & Robert RippKaren SillsKevin O’DellMary Jo VespersRobert &Kay GreiweSandy HoltSandi Rhoads Haffner & Tom Seeds of ChangeShirley StephensSouthern Exposure Seed ExchangeSusy & Richard SpenceThomas FeiertagToni DanielsTurtle Tree Biodynamic Seed Initiative

D O N A T I O N S R E C E I V E D M A R C H 1 7 - J U N E 1 7

Civic Garden Center – Summer 20174

While we typically view three gardens on the tour this year we were a little more ambitious. We visited four gardens. They were: • The Frederick Douglass School Garden • The Julie Hanser Garden • The Concord Street Garden, and • The West McMicken Garden

We like to start our tour with a garden focused on kids. The Frederick Douglass School Garden is designed with kids in mind. From the planting bed heights to the pathways designed for focused walking the garden was envisioned as a green space “getaway” for the youth of the neighborhood, but specifically the students from Frederick Douglass Elementary School.

Here is Gary Dangel, the Garden Coordinator for the space.We weed, water, harvest, explore nature, practice environmental stewardship, and do art projects. The idea is to reconnect young people with the soil so they can learn where real food comes from. The hope is that they will use the experience to make healthier eating choices.

The Julie Hanser Garden is a garden whose purpose is to grow fresh produce for the Mercy Neighborhoods Ministry food pantry. To aid their goal on getting produce to elderly shut-ins, Sue Plummer, the Garden Coordinator, enlists the aid of several volunteers to make the space productive and beautiful. Although on a fenced in lot she is always finding ways to expand. This year the “back 40” is moving toward a permaculture focus.

Sue’s thoughts:The Julie Hanser Community Garden(s) …purpose has been to serve the elderly, home-bound, and payee clientele of Walnut Hills and Evanston through the MNM food pantry. We grow a variety of vegetables and fruits, mainly with our clientele’s tastes in mind, and have harvested as much as 1300 pounds of produce in one season.

COMMUNITYGARDENSGreg Potter

Community Gardens Tour 2017

The Concord Street Garden is the third garden in Walnut Hills that we visited. Why three so close? The neighborhood wide gardening effort has been working closely together as a group and we want to show people what that level of cooperation and coordination can create! Not to mention it’s focus on upcycling!

Here’s Betty Waite, Coordinator for Concord Street Community Garden:The Concord Community Garden is a 66 bed garden growing vegetables and flowers for a neighborhood that recently became a food desert. We grow seedlings for all of the gardens in the neighborhood in our greenhouse made of used windows. We store our tools in a tool bin made of used doors. Our water source is …rainwater, and is stored in … a retention pond made out of used tires.

The last garden on the tour was the West McMicken Community Garden. This is a garden that showcases what time and consistent commitment can create. A group of dedicated gardeners have been working in a space for more than two decades!

Tony Walsh shared:The McMicken Garden got it’s start in…1995. In the spring of 1996…the garden was cleaned up and the first plants were put in the ground…Over the next few years mosaics were added…a wrought iron archway was made by one of the gardeners and we received a grant from the CUF Tower Fund for a water tap! This garden represents that incredible things can be accomplished when people work together for a common goal, and we have been doing that for 20 years.

Each year the Civic Garden Center takes the interested public on a tour of community gardens in our network. This year marked the 33rd year of the tour. The goal is to allow people to see these garden spaces that mean so much to the gardeners and the neighborhoods that they are located in.

Thank you to those that joined us on our 33rd Community Garden Tour to see these four gardens and celebrate our 75th Anniversary.

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Scenes from Last Year’s Garden Tour

WESTWOOD

DATER OTR

Civic Garden Center – Summer 20176

THE JULIE HANSER GARDEN

THE FREDERICK DOUGLASS SCHOOL GARDEN

THE CONCORD STREET GARDEN

THE WEST MCMICKEN GARDEN

Scenes from This Year’s Garden Tour

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This season marks the 6-year anniversary of the grand opening of Green Learning Station. Since it was first constructed, we have strived to tie in our mission of building community through gardening to our GLS environmental education programs. Thanks to a $50,000 grant from Duke Energy, we have been able to seamlessly integrate our GLS programming into local community gardens this year. The Duke Energy grant was awarded to CGC to create a brand new high school field trip experience focused on water education. During the program, students learn about the increasing global need for potable water and the interconnectedness of global and regional water issues, as Cincinnati is one of the worst cities in the nation at polluting local waterways through Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs). The solution explored for these issues during the field trip is collecting roof harvested rainwater (RHRW) for garden use and keeping water out of the sewer. During the field trip, students travel to local community gardens to test samples of RHRW for standard water quality parameters like conductivity, pH, temperature, and turbidity. The RHRW systems in the community gardens are made out of different material types such as concrete or aluminum to demonstrate the impact of variable roof, gutter, and cistern material, on RHRW quality. This spring was our first pilot test of the program, and students conducted water quality monitoring at the Julie Hanser and Concord Street community gardens in Walnut Hills. While these two gardens were the main test sites for our pilot season, the program also includes RHRW units at the Clifton

Community Garden and soon-to-be Urban Orchard in Walnut Hills. The program is a cutting edge high-tech field experience where students record data through the online Liquid, LLC database using digital tablets while in the field. The data will be compiled over the years and is accessible by teachers in classrooms for follow up activities. The findings are valuable for community gardeners to gain a better understanding of the quality of water they are collecting for use. There’s a significant need for increasing the number of students pursuing careers in fields related to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). We are thrilled to give students real-world experience in STEM through this program. Many students visiting us have never set foot in a community garden, making this program not only important for water education, but also for expanding student understanding of community gardens for neighborhood food security and community building. Overall this spring we educated 174 high school students from seven area schools. We look forward to expanding this program to more Tristate area schools in the fall.

Fall Facilitators NeededWe are in search of facilitators to lead small group discussions during field trips for middle and high school students. Field trips will run September and October on Wednesdays and Thursdays. If you are interested in being involved, please contact Kylie Johnson at kjohnson@civicgardencenter.org for more information.

GREEN LEARNINGSTATIONKylie Johnson

Community Gardens and Green Learning Station Combine Forces for Greater Impact

JULIE HANSER GARDEN CONCORD GARDEN

SUE PLUMMER

Civic Garden Center – Summer 20178

CALENDAR

All classes take place at the Civic Garden Center, 2715 Reading Road 45206, unless otherwise noted. Registration enables us to prepare our facility and supplies for classes. For more details or to register, please go to www.civicgardencenter.org or call 513 221-0981.

C L A S SFall Family FunSaturdaySEP 1610am – NoonCivic Garden Center2715 Reading Road

M E E T I N GOrchid Society TuesdayOCT 3 7 – 10:30pmCivic Garden Center2715 Reading Road

M E E T I N GBonsai Society ThursdaySEP 217 – 10pmCivic Garden Center2715 Reading Road

C L A S SCreate Your Signature ScentSaturdayJUL 2910am – NoonCivic Garden Center2715 Reading Road

C L A S SMaster Composter SeriesWednesdayAUG 29 – 10amCivic Garden Center2715 Reading Road

M E E T I N GLocal FoodAction TeamThursdayAUG 311am – 12:30pmCivic Garden Center2715 Reading Road

C L A S SAbundant TomatoesWednesdayAUG 96 – 8pmCivic Garden Center2715 Reading Road

C L A S SSchool Garden Workshop SeriesThursdayAUG 103:30 – 5pmCivic Garden Center2715 Reading Road

C L A S SGarden Basics: Fall & Winter MaintenanceThursday SEP 1411:30 am – 1pmCivic Garden Center2715 Reading Road

M E E T I N GBonsai Society ThursdayAUG 177 – 10pmCivic Garden Center2715 Reading Road

M E E T I N GOrchid Society TuesdaySEP 57 – 10pmCivic Garden Center2715 Reading Road

M E E T I N GBook ClubWednesdaySEP 6Noon – 1:15pmCivic Garden Center2715 Reading Road

P R O G R A M

Monday, JUL 24, 2 – 4pmCivic Garden Center2715 Reading Road

Tuesday, JUL 25, 2 – 4pmOver-the-Rhine People’s Garden49 E McMicken Ave

Wednesday, JUL 26, 10am – NoonRothenberg Preparatory Academy241 E Clifton Avenue

Monday, JUL 31, 2 – 4pmCivic Garden Center2715 Reading Road

Tuesday, AUG 1, 2 – 4pmOver-the-Rhine People’s Garden49 E McMicken Ave

Wednesday, AUG 2, 10am – NoonRothenberg Preparatory Academy241 E Clifton Avenue

Summer Sprouts

C L A S SAppalachian Applehead DollsSaturdayOCT 28 10am – NoonCivic Garden Center2715 Reading Road

M E E T I N GOrchid Society TuesdayNOV 77 – 10:30pmCivic Garden Center2715 Reading Road

C L A S SInvasive Plant Removal & Indigenous Replacements Saturday OCT 1410am – NoonCivic Garden Center

M E E T I N GBonsai Society Thursday OCT 197 – 10pmCivic Garden Center2715 Reading Road

P R O G R A M

Tuesday, SEP 19, 6:00 – 8:00pmCivic Garden Center2715 Reading Road

Flavors of Community Gardens

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An excerpt from Civic Garden Center: 75 Years of Building Community Through Gardening

From its very beginnings, the Civic Garden Center of Greater Cincinnati (CGC) was

rooted in community-mindedness, positivism, and practicality. In January 1942,

the United States had been involved in World War II for almost a year, and the first

food rations were being implemented across the country. Items such as meat, cheese,

and coffee had to be purchased with coupons from war ration books. A local Victory

Garden movement, like many others across the country, sprang out of citizens’ need

for fresh, sustainable food.

Recognizing a community need, two women sponsored by Federated Garden Clubs

of Cincinnati and Vicinity—Jane Bosworth and Emilie Osmond—visited garden

centers in the neighboring cities of Detroit, Pittsburgh, and Cleveland. The two were

looking for examples on which to base an exciting new idea for an organization

to serve as a central resource for gardening education in the Cincinnati area. They

chose the Cleveland Garden Center, now known as the Cleveland Botanical Garden,

as their model.

The Federated Garden Clubs decided to donate $500 to help get a local organization

started. By March 1942, the Garden Center of Greater Cincinnati, as the organiza-

tion was newly entitled, had become a reality. It quickly selected its first executive

director, Peggy Pogue. (Pogue would later return to the Garden Center under her

married name, Peggy Pogue Macneale, as a horticulturalist.) Pogue had received an

education in botanical gardening and landscape design at Vassar College and com-

pleted graduate work at both Smith College and the University of Cincinnati. Under

Pogue’s leadership, the Garden Center staged a number of forums and lectures

on vegetable growing and wartime gardening held at area hotels or at the Ohio

Mechanics Institute. The Natural History Museum (then located in the basement of

the Mechanics Institute) offered the fledgling organization a corner room within

the building, located at Central Parkway and Walnut Street. However modest, the

Garden Center now had its first home.

There have been so many conversations, starting last year, about our history. Every time we talk to someone else from our past, we hear something new.

So much of our history has been passed down by word of mouth, so we are putting together a book of the history and a story about the people who have made CGC great.

Check back in Fall 2017 to order:www.civicgardencenter.org

Interested in Becoming a Hauck Society Member? Pledge your support or renew your gift today.

Contact:Karen KahleDevelopment Director

Email:kkahle@civicgardencenter.org

Phone:513 221-0981 x30

Did You Know That the Civic Garden Center Has a Book Club?Whether you are new to book clubs or you are a veteran of book discussions, you will enjoy the CGC book club. The club currently meets three times a year, January, April and September at 12 noon – 1:15pm at the CGC. Brown bag lunches are welcome. Book themes are on gardening, farming, nature and other topics, fiction and nonfiction. Discussion is lively and relaxed. September 6, 2017 is the next meeting and the book is the award winning and best selling Lab Girl by Hope Jahren, 2016. This debut memoir tells the story of acclaimed geobiologist Hope Jahren and her three laboratories where she studies plant life. The writer incorporates her struggles with mental illness, women in science and university funding in a down to earth way. The book covers her childhood with little parental communication to her relationship with her best friend and lab partner Bill to her marriage and motherhood. The reader will thrill to the wonder of her discoveries and the descriptions of the beautiful mechanisms of trees and plants. One reviewer describes the book as “warm, luminous and compulsively readable.” Book is available at the public library and in paperback. Call Barb Majnarich at 513 231-6566 or email at majnarich@aol.com for more information about book club.

It’s the Civic Garden Center of Greater Cincinnati’s 75th Anniversary!

Civic Garden Center – Summer 201710

At the Civic Garden Center we’re grateful for the many people who give so generously to help support our work. But few donors have touched our hearts in the way Quinn Gulley has. You see, Quinn is six years old, and when he recently sent in his second donation, we decided it was time to learn more about our youngest donor! Quinn and his parents and younger sister live in the Pendleton neighborhood in Over the Rhine. They would walk by the Pendleton Children’s Garden several times a day and Quinn was always curious about what was going on there. Established in 1999 as a Children’s Garden (previously used as an adult community garden), the Pendleton Children’s Garden is currently managed and maintained by Civic Garden Center staff. The garden contains numerous raised vegetable and theme beds and bordering flower gardens that are cooperatively planted, maintained and harvested by the Summer Sprouts gardeners, the Civic Garden Center’s summer youth education program. After learning more about the garden and the Sprouts program, Quinn’s mom enrolled him in the program last summer. She tells us that Quinn was thrilled to finally be able to “farm” and play in the garden. And, after growing a rainbow beet that he got to grill and eat, she said beets became his favorite vegetable. For Quinn, being able to learn about growing food in the garden tied in nicely with what he’s learning about food at the New School Montessori in Avondale. Quinn is participating in our Summer Sprouts program again this year. We asked him what he likes most about gardening and he told us that he loves planting seeds and watching them grow and he liked learning about using food scraps to make compost. (He thinks seeds do best when planted in a combination of worm-made and human-made compost.) He also really enjoyed the gimbap they made for lunch one day using carrots and peppers from the garden. (Quinn’s mom added that they all love Mary Dudley, our youth education coordinator!) We’ve all heard the expression “We give what we can, when we can” and clearly Quinn’s parents have thoughtfully developed a caring child who takes real pride in being part of his neighborhood. When Quinn wanted to sell water balloons at last summer’s Danger Wheel (a downhill Big Wheel race for adults now in its third year in Pendleton), his mom suspected he was more interested in pelting the racers with the balloons than anything else. She agreed to let him sell balloons but encouraged him to think about donating some of the money to a good cause. Quinn made $20 selling those water balloons. One day after the race, as they were walking by the garden, Quinn announced that he wanted to give half of the money to the garden. His mom helped him mail in his donation to the Civic Garden Center. As many of you already know, any donation to the Civic Garden Center lands you on our mailing list for THE Plant Sale, and

Quinn was quite surprised when an invitation, addressed only to him, arrived in the mail. Quinn made his second donation to the Civic Garden Center shortly after receiving the invitation. Quinn reminds us that children know what it’s like to be happy with the simple things in life. We love that Quinn loves the garden and rocks (he has an uncle that’s a geologist) and exploring his neighborhood and striped beets. He already understands the feeling one gets when connecting with something that is real. Rachel Carson often said that a child’s positive connection to nature depends on two things: special places and special people. We’re committed to being a special place for eternally curious and very special people like Quinn Gulley and his lovely family.

PROFILESKaren Kahle

We Give What We Can

QUINN GULLEY

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Sue Plummer is pretty easy to read. Her passion for and pride in the Walnut Hills neighborhood and the community garden she manages there is palpable. We recently dropped by the Julie Hanser Community Garden, one of the gardens included in this year’s Community Gardens Tour, to chat with Sue who is the garden manager with Mercy Neighborhood Ministries (MNM). We found Sue working with one of her regular volunteers to install a drip irrigation line in one of the garden’s many raised beds. The garden also has four rain barrels, holding over 400 gallons of water which they use to irrigate the garden. “The drip irrigation system helps maintain the ideal moisture level, encouraging the formation of deeper roots and more abundant foliage,” explains Sue. “And it’s less time consuming than someone standing here with a hose.”

Sue, who grew up fascinated with the beehive her dad kept at their College Hill home, has worked in this garden since 2009, first helping out then garden coordinator Connie Busmeyer before taking over the garden when she was an AmeriCorps volunteer at MNM in 2010. Sue proudly points out that the garden has grown some 20 different kinds of vegetables in 150 varieties and yields over 1300 pounds of produce each year. The fresh vegetables grown there are made available to MNM’s senior clients through a monthly food pantry, and are often delivered to clients’ homes by their Senior Services and Home Care staff or volunteers. “I had quite a learning curve when I started here, and that was scary,” admits Sue, “but gardeners have to be creative problem-solving people and it’s been really rewarding to learn how to do that.” Gardeners are also incredibly resourceful and Sue laughs when mentioning how they save and find uses for twist ties, wire, broken china for mosaic, colored glass fragments, fishing line and even old jewelry.

Something Sue was good at from the start was building relationships with garden neighbors and with others in the community. Solomon, owner of the house next door, has become, thanks to Sue’s commitment to relationship building, a real partner in the garden. The garden expanded to the back of his lot with the addition of a bed of asparagus and, with the help of volunteers from Go Cincinnati and UC Serves, they recently took down some dead trees and lots of pesky honeysuckle. Sue excitedly points out a series of Hügelkultur beds (Hügelkultur replicates the natural process of decomposition that occurs on forest floors by employing raised beds constructed from decaying wood debris and other compostable biomass plant materials) that a local Eagle Scout is building from those cut down trees and other garden debris.

Sue’s goal is to have all people from the neighborhood running the garden. She loves the diversity of Walnut Hills and hopes more people join her in challenging their assumptions about each other to learn, by working side by side growing things, just how alike we really are. “I find building community and growing things to be equally fascinating and challenging and I love living in a neighborhood where I get to do both.” When asked what she appreciates most about the relationship she and her volunteers have with the Civic Garden Center, Sue quickly ticks off the expertise we offer, the helpful classes she and others have taken, our assistance with the garden’s infrastructure, and how we’re able to guide her to whatever resources she needs. “The commitment of everyone at CGC to its community garden program comes through so clearly. It really is an amazing asset,” she said. We’re pretty sure Sue is a genuine asset in her neighborhood and to the Civic Garden Center, too.

Garden Goddess Hard at Work

SUE PLUMMER

Civic Garden Center – Summer 201712

H O R T I C U L T U R A L H E L P L I N E513 221-TREE(8733)

helpline@civicgardencenter.org

Leave questions anytime. Talk to a volunteer M, W, F 10–2

Interested in becoming a

Master Gardener? Contact Julie Crook at

crook.46@cfaes.osu.edu or at513 946-8998 for information

The Ultimate Flowerbox It Can Water Automatically!

Highlight your home with bountiful blooms – even on the second floor!

Ultimate Equals• Hassle-Free Automatic Watering• Fiberglass Construction• Fool-Proof Drainage System• Easy Installation• 19 Colors Available• Any Length from 2 to 15 Feet• All Profits Go to CGC

John E Simpkinson513 321-4467johns@ffofc.netwww.flowerframersofcincy.comCGC Donors save an extra 10%

Bzak Landscaping931 Round Bottom RoadMilford, OH 45150513 831-0907www.bzak.com

• Landscape Design & Installation• Garden Center• Landscape Materials: mulch, topsoil, compost, gravel, and more

Soil Testing The Hamilton County Soil & Water Conservation District (SWCD) offers soil fertility testing through Michigan State University. The test results provide a soil amendment recipe to ensure that you get the most out of your plant investment.

Hamilton County Soil & Water Conservation District Kemper Pond Office Park, 1325 East Kemper Road, Suite 115 Cincinnati, OH 45246 513 772-SOIL (7645), Office Hours: Monday - Friday, 8am - 4:30pm

The Lobby’s Gift Shopis full to the brim

with great garden gifts...stop in and see us!

We Stock Quality Products From:

Our Gift Shop has lots of furnishings for fairy houses and

miniature gardens.

Our Gift Shop has lots of furnishings for fairy houses and

miniature gardens.

www.cincinnatiwildones.org

FARMSTANDS

Fresh, healthy, local food comes to you!

Farmstand Schedule (June-September)

Price Hill: Tuesdays, 3-6pm (corner of Price and Grand Ave.)Bond Hill: Wednesdays, 3:30-6:30pm (1740 Langdon Farm Rd.)Evanston: Thursdays, 3:30-6:30pm (1614 Hewitt Ave.)Walnut Hills: Thursdays, 4-7pm (954 E. McMillan St.)

SNAP/EBT accepted.

NGICPCertification Exam Prep

construction, inspection, and maintenance workers

Green Infrastructure Certification

National Green Infrastructure Certi�cation Program (NGICP) sets national certi�cation standards for green infrastructure (GI) construction, inspection, and maintenance workers. Designed to meet international best practice standards, the certi�cation advances the establishment of sustainable communities by promoting GI as an environmentally and economically bene�cial stormwater management option, supporting the development of pro�cient green workforces, and establishing a career path for skilled GI workers.

September 8 – October 13, 2017 Mondays and Fridays 8:00a.m. - NoonCivic Garden Center of Greater Cincinnati2715 Reading Road, Cincinnati, OH 45206

For more information visit:

For more information contact:

ngicp.org/project/metropolitan-sewer-district-of-greater-cincinnati-msd/

ngicpcincinnati@civicgardencenter.org

NON-PROFIT

ORGANIZATION

U.S. POSTAGE PAID

CINCINNATI, OH

PERMIT NO. 5604

@civicgarden

facebook.com/civicgarden

youtube.com/gardenerterry

2715 Reading Road, Cincinnati, OH 45206

CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED

Lobby Hours:Monday–Friday, 9am–5pm; Saturday, 9am–4pm; Closed Sunday

Admission to the facility and Hoffman Library is free.

513 221-0981 (p)513 221-0961 (f)www.civicgardencenter.org

PLEASE RECYCLE

Don’t be left out! Your $50 Donation to the Civic Garden Center will ensure you receive our news and event information for the next 12 months.

Available Fall 2017

2715 Reading Road, Cincinnati, OH 45206 513 221-0981 www.civicgardencenter.org

In celebration of our 75th anniversary,we are proud to offer a commemorative historyof the Civic Garden Center of Greater Cincinnati

from its opening in 1942 to the present day.

Don’t miss out!

Reserve your copy today at:www.civicgardencenter.org