1

Cuyahoga County

Welcome to Dig In!

2

Covering the Basics• Introductions

• Parking/ Entrance & Bathrooms

• Review schedule

• Homework

• Payment

Cuyahoga County

3

A little about us……and some guidelines

4

Ice Breaker!

OSU ExtensionCuyahoga County

What is OSU Extension?•Outreach and engagement arm of The Ohio State University

•Non-formal education, community based-programs

• Office/programs in all 88 counties of OHIO (and 2,900 counties in the U.S.!)

•Program Areas: •family and consumer sciences, •4-H youth development, •community development, and •agriculture and natural resources (that’s us!)

•We celebrated 100 years in 2014!

Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP)

• Series of interactive classes that teach healthier food choices, managing food resources, food safety practices

• Serves low income adults caring for children and youth audiences (grades 3-8)

– Contact: Kristen Matlack

– Matlack.6@osu.edu

– 216-429-8200 x229

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Education Program (SNAP-Ed)

• Series of classes focus on: diet quality, physical activity, food safety, and food resource management

• Serves low income adults and youth (grades K-2)

– Contact: Tina Robbins

– Robbins.399@osu.edu

– 216-429-8200

Snap shot of cover of the toolkit, “SNAP-Ed Strategies and Interventions” https://snaped.fns.usda.gov/snap//SNAP-EdInterventionsToolkit.pdf

4-H Youth Development• Clubs: organized group with a

planned project or program and a trained, adult volunteer

• Groups: youth at a partner agency who participate in a 4-H learning experience

• Involved in the County Fair at the Berea Fairgrounds each August

– Contact: Robin Stone

– Stone.363@osu.edu

– 216-429-8200 x234

The 4-H Youth Advocacy and Leadership Coalition is a civic leadership program for youth ages 13-18 in Cuyahoga County. The YALC develops young adult leaders by training and supporting them in advocating for youth issues and links them to their communities through service learning experiences. This non-traditional 4-H club is funded through support of the Family and Children First Council.

To learn more visit www.empower-youth.org

Contact: Kirsten Pianka, pianka.1@osu.edu, 216-429-8200 x228

Since 1978, OSUE’s Urban Agriculture Program in Cuyahoga Countyhas provided education and technical assistance to:

•help people grow nutritious food,

•develop important life skills, and

•build stronger communities and healthier environments.

OSU ExtensionCuyahoga County

Our Urban Agriculture Programs develop skills sets, build expertise, and help residents navigate finding and securing land.• Current programs include:• Market Gardens

• Kinsman Farm• Market Gardener Training Program

• Community Gardens• Summer Sprout (City of Cleveland)• Suburban Community Gardening Program• Dig In! Community Gardener Training Program

• Urban Agriculture Workshop Series• Farm to School and Early Childhood• Master Gardener Volunteers

• 8 week program that builds successful, sustainable community gardens

• Since 2009:

− 194 graduates from City and

suburbs

− 68 new community gardens

started, 82 existing gardens

improved

Dig In! Community Gardener Training Program

“It opened up a

large knowledge

base of information

and a great

opportunity to

network with like-

minded individuals.”

Contact: Maggie Fitzpatrick, Fitzpatrick.255@osu.edu,

216-429-8200 x217

Market Gardener Training Program

• 12 week class for local food entrepreneurs

• Since 2006,

− 250 graduates

− Enterprises started include:

apiaries, farmers’ markets,

urban farms selling to

restaurants and through CSAs,

and value-added products

Contact: Courtney Woelfl, Woelfl.1@osu.edu, 216-429-8200 x246

• City of Cleveland’s Community Gardening Program since 1976, managed by OSU Extension

• In 2017:

− 185 gardens

− 3,383 gardeners

− 46.6 acres of garden area

− 17,391 pounds produce

reported donated

Summer Sprout

Contact: Maggie Fitzpatrick, Fitzpatrick.255@osu.edu, 216-429-8200 x217

• Network of community gardens outside the City of Cleveland

• In 2015:

− 63 gardens in 23 municipalities

− 1,620 gardeners

− 13 acres of garden area

− 6,300 pounds produce reported

donated

Suburban Community Gardening Program

• Yearly educational series, free and open to all

• In 2017, topics included:

− Pruning fruit trees

− Composting

− Growing specialty crops

− Gardening with youth

− Managing garden weeds

− Weighing the harvest

Urban Agriculture Workshop Series

Contact: 216-429-8200

• Providing volunteer leadership and service to through various gardening activities.

• In 2015,

− Mentored community gardens

− Hosted Farm to Table

gardening event

− Offered program for new

volunteers beginning in

September

Master Gardener Volunteers

OSUECuyahogaUrbanAgriculture@osuecuyahoga

Maggie Fitzpatrick Fitzpatrick.255@osu.eduCourtney Woelfl woelfl.1@osu.eduphone 216-429-8200 x217, x246web cuyahoga.osu.edu u.osu.edu/summersprout

Research shows that successful long-term community gardens overcome obstacles by basing the growth of their gardens on four

“seeds:”

1. Secured land tenure

2. Sustained interest

3. Community development

4. Appropriate design

“Sowing the Seeds of Success:Cultivating a Future for Community Gardens,”

Lee-Anne S. Milburn and Brooke Adams Vail, Landscape Journal, 291-10

25

Finding Land for your

Urban Agricultural Project

Courtney Woelfl

The Ohio State University Extension, Cuyahoga County

26

This presentation will cover…

• How to find a site• In Cleveland

• In the Suburbs

• Urban Agriculture Site Checklist

27

How many acres of

vacant land are in

Cleveland?

28

Answer: ~1,548 acres(~14,000 vacant lots)

29

How did you pick your garden

site?

If you don’t currently have land

how would you pick your

garden site?

When can you garden?

The importance of permission!

30

Resources to help you find land…

• Walk Your Neighborhood

• Bike Your Neighborhood

• Drive Your Neighborhood

• Talk to local stakeholders/Institutions

• Web-based resources

31

Web-Based Resources

• Google Maps

• City of Cleveland

• County Planning

• County Auditor

32

Lets find and empty lot near this

classroom using Google Maps and

street view…

33

Step #1:Find a vacant lot and get an address

or a nearby intersection.

34

Google Maps and Google Street View

• Maps.google.com

• Find your location

• Earth view (lower left corner)

• Click your location

• Click ‘Street View’

• Looks for a nearby address/intersection

35

Step #2:Find out who the owner of the lot is

36

In the City of Cleveland…

• City of Cleveland Planning Commission

Geographic Information Services (GIS)http://planning.city.cleveland.oh.us/gis/cpc.html

• Community Development Corporations

http://livecleveland.org/node/10

37

38

Click locate

intersection/Address

A pop-up window will

appear

39

A pop up window will appear.

Enter in the address (or a

nearby address) of the lot you

are interested in.

If you don’t have a specific

address you can also enter in

the nearest street intersection

Then click Map this address

40

Now that your address

is mapped zoom in on

your location

Click the zoom in

bubble (top bar)

Click directly on your

mapped location (red

star) to zoom in

41

Zoom In close enough

so that you are able to

see individual lots

You can now compare

this screen to your

Google Map screen

42

43

44

To get more information

about the lot click the

identify bubble (top bar)

Then click the lot you

are interested in

45

A pop-up box will appear. This

pop-up box contains information

about the lot. Such as…

• Parcel number

• Address

• Ward number

• Lot size

To find out who owns the lot the

click the County Auditor’s

information link

46

Another screen will pop

up. This screen will tell

you who owns the lot.

47

What if you don’t have a specific lot in mind?

Layer control!

48

If you don’t have a

specific lot in my

you can use the

layer control to see

Existing Land Use

and Land Bank

Lots

Click on the Layer

Control link (top

left)

49

To see how lots are

being utilized and

which lots are in the

Land Bank click the

Existing Land Use

and Land Bank

bubbles

Then click refresh

button (top left)

This will highlight all

Land Bank lots on

your map

50

Now that you have a lot picked out…

What now?

51

Step #3:Contact…

• City of Cleveland Land Bank

Community Development

Division of Real Estate Room 325

601 Lakeside

(216) 664.4126

• Your City Councilmember

• Your Community Development Corporation

http://livecleveland.org/node/10

52

What if you want to find a lot outside of

the city of Cleveland?

53

How to find a lot in the Suburbs

Step #1:Find a vacant lot and get an address

(just like before, use Google Maps for this step)

54

How to find a lot in the Suburbs

Step #2:Find out who the owner of the lot is

55

• Cuyahoga County Land Bank

http://www.cuyahogalandbank.org/properties.php

• Cuyahoga County Planning Department

http://planning.co.cuyahoga.oh.us/

Cuyahoga Geographical Information Systems (GIS)

http://gis.cuyahogacounty.us/

• NEOCANDO

http://neocando.case.edu/cando/housingReport/interface.jsp

56

Scroll to the

bottom of the

page

Click ‘Enter”

57

There are two ways to

search for lots

1. To enter the

address/parcel#/or owner

name directly in a search

bar

58

Type information directly into

search bar. Click enter.

Information about the parcel

will be displayed

59

Now that you have a lot picked out in the Suburbs

…What now?

60

Step #3: Contact …• City Hall

• Planning

• Land Bank (Euclid, E. Cleve., S. Euclid, Cleve. Hts)

• Private Land Owners

• Non Profit Organizations

61

Now that you have a site in mind how do you make sure

it’s the right sight for gardening?

62

Urban Agriculture Site Assessment Check List

63

Things to consider in the garden…

1. Existing structures and shading

2. Access to water

3. Soil (what’s already growing?)

4. Landscape (slopes, depressions, tree roots)

Tip: Visit your site at different times of the day to see how much

sunlight is available. Also visit after a rain to see if puddles collect.

64

Nearby Structures

Selecting a Garden Site

65

Soil – Slope of the Land

66

Water Access

• Water spigot – Is it within reach?

Selecting a Garden Site

67

Water Access

Rain Barrel

City of Cleveland’s

Summer Rain Barrel Program

(216) 664- 2455

68

Water Access

Hydrant Access

May-Oct (Mar-Nov)

69

Soil – Testing and Digging

• Always have your soil tested by an

accredited lab

• Call before you dig!

Selecting a Garden Site

70

Things to consider inside the garden…

1. History of the location

2. Current uses for the location

71

Things to consider outside of the garden…

1. Community/businesses nearby

2. Who lives nearby?

3. Safety and security (lighting, neighborhood watch groups)

4. Land use history

Tip: Seek out already established community groups to help

promote and introduce your project to the community (block

clubs, neighborhood watch, etc.)

72

Questions?

73

What is it that you are hoping to

accomplish?

74

Goals, needs, and assets• What do you need to get started?

• What resources do you already have?

• What are you striving to achieve and what do you need to get there?

• Types of resources to consider:

• time

• people

• money

• tools and materials

• knowledge

75

76

77

78

79

80

http://www.whitehouse.gov/assets/documents/garden_layout.pdf

81

http://www.gardenideaspicture.us/2013/09/community-garden-ideas.html

82https://smithceeds.wordpress.com/tag/permaculture/

83

84

Major Considerations in Garden Design• Garden mission: who is involved? what is your purpose?

• Water

• Sunny and shady areas

• Soil

• Entryways: for people, for materials

• Pathways: width, material

• Garden type: individual plots, communal plots

• Meeting, sitting, rest areas

85

Other Considerations in Garden Design• Neighbors

• Fencing: purpose (will determine height, locked/unlocked), placement

• Compost

• Garbage collection

• Storage

• Sign

• Bulletin board

• Maintenance of common areas

86

Community Resources

87

Re-Imagining Cleveland Resource Books

• Intended to provide inspiration, guidance and resources for

community groups and individuals who want to create productive

benefit from vacant land in their neighborhood.

• http://www.clevelandnp.org/reimagining-cleveland/

88

Clean and Green Trailer

• Available through Cleveland Neighborhood Progress for loan to City

of Cleveland residents and community volunteer groups free of

charge, April-October (make reservation 2 weeks ahead of time!)

• Trailer stocked with landscaping tools and cleanup supplies to assist

with beautification and clean-up efforts and events in Cleveland’s

neighborhoods.

• http://www.clevelandnp.org/cleangreencleveland/

89

GardenWalk Cleveland

• Free, self-guided tour of gardens, urban farms, vineyards and

orchards in several neighborhoods of Cleveland, Ohio.

• Website: gardenwalkcleveland.org

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gardenwalk.cleveland

90

Homework

91

Last Call for Paperwork!1. EEET2. Sign- In Sheet

3. Contact list

4. AA/EEO (Affirmative Action/ Equal Employment

Opportunity)

5. Photo Release

6. Pre- Evaluation (for the Dig In! program)

92

Announcements