Although Weinland Park encompasses less than half a mile, the neighborhood boasts many community gardens and green spaces. These gardens not only enhance the physical appearance of the neighborhood, they also provide people with the opportunity to connect with each other doing something they enjoy.

Here is a map that has the garden sites and all the Little Free Libraries in Weinland Park. 

Many years ago the Weinland Park Garden Club created the 6th Street Community Garden on the corner of 6th Avenue and 6th Street. The garden had a great berry patch and all kinds of people grew food there, but the location did not have easy access to water, and an encompassing fence made the space feel uninviting. Over time, the 6th Street Community Garden fell into decline.

So when housing was proposed for those lots across from Godman Guild, residents moved the garden to 4th Street, bringing along plants and fence panels from the original site and calling it 4th Street Farms.

Neighborhood kids decorated the fence panels with the words “Everybody’s Garden,” and the panels now serve as public art that welcomes residents to the site.

4th Street Farms grows strawberries, blueberries, apples, cherries, plums, peaches and pears. 4th Street Farms is a free farm where all are welcome to “Give Time. Get Food!” on our community mission to “Grow People, Growing Food.”

In addition to 4th Street Farms, Weinland Park is also home to several other gardens:

IE Gardens, named for its location at the Intersection of Indianapolis and Euclid avenues, has a collection of raised garden beds. Residents gather on “Meet Up Mondays” to tend the garden and meet new residents.

I.E. Gardens is the neighborhood backyard. It is a raised bed garden next to the firehouse. It is mostly fenced but open to all and serves as a great dog park.

There are also great garden beds all along 9th and Indianola for neighbors to tend flower beds and create lovely streetscapes.

The 5th Street Tree Nursery is a collaboration of Friends of the Lower Olentangy Watershed (FLOW), City of Columbus & Campus Partners with the community to increase our green canopy.

The 5th Street Tree Nursery grows trees from seedlings into saplings. Once hardy, the trees are planted on tree lawns and other spaces to help increase the green canopy over the neighborhood.

Very close by, the 5th Street Wildflower Gardens is comprised of several lots full of flower beds, installation art, seating, and of course a Little Free Library. Neighborhood children have been particularly helpful in creating and maintaining the flowers and artwork in this garden.

Just steps down the block from both the Tree Nursery and the Wildflower Gardens, the 5th Street Bird Sanctuary is an idyllic green space to absorb nature, sit by the fish pond, grill out at the BBQ and picnic tables to read a book from the Little Free Library.

The 5th Street Bird Sanctuary was created by a former resident who wanted a space for birds, butterflies, and pollinators. The space is an ideal place for residents to enjoy nature and relax by the fish pond. A grill and picnic tables make it an easy place to prepare an outdoor dinner.

The Mildred Davenport Memorial Garden is one of the neighborhoods newest gardens. Located in the park behind Weinland Park Elementary, the small garden features a sitting bench, a lovely garden, a Free Little Library and a plaque commemorating the garden’s namesake, Mildred Davenport, a long-time neighborhood resident who was the first African American to live on the west side of 4th Street.

Weinland Park Berry Patch kicked off in 2017 building off the community gardens before it by creating another free pick green space with picnic tables and berries. It is in the New Indianola Historic District, the last intact streetcar suburb in the US.

At the crossroads of the Short North and University Districts, it is also the site of Positively 4th Street, where music and social activism gave birth to Comfest and the Arts District to come. It’s a great space to enjoy berry picking and getting to know neighbors!

Rounding out the gardens, there’s also Arawak now operated by the Vineyard and of course Godman Guild. Both gardens have a long history in Weinland Park.

Arawak was founded originally by Catherine Girves, Connie Gadell-Newton, Robb Ebright, and Miles Curtiss of WCRS, Food Not Bombs and the Universty District Area Enrichment Association. Arawak serves the 5th Street Food Pantry.

Godman Guild began gardening programs in the 1800’s and continues to be active in community gardening efforts in the area.

Residents of all ages come to these shared spaces for comradery and the chance to engage in an activity that enhances the quality of life in Weinland Park.