This is part community garden, part art garden. In addition to the the plants and veggies, you will…read morefind some eclectic art I this garden. It is located along the Monon Trail and is directly behind the Union Brewing Company. It is not a very big garden, but has lots of personality. There are colorful painted bicycle hubs on the outside of the fence and lawn sculptures and other decorations on the inside. There are also a couple of picnic tables off to the side of the picnic table that are painted in bright colors as well. The garden was created in 2012 by local resident Andrew Fritz, after a doctor inquired about his diet following a serious bicycle accident. The garden is currently managed by Brandon and Sheri Leum. The garden's purpose is to grow and give away organically grown produce to the Carmel United Methodist Food Pantry, provide a space for planting, and to support ecological health. They also allow those in need to get whatever they want directly from the garden. So, in other words, I really love its mission. For $50 you can reserve a bed in the garden. But you must follow their guidelines and strict requirements. The main stipulation is that anyone can take from the garden. This garden serves as a community meeting spot where, the owners have claimed to have met people of all walks of life. There is ample free parking in the lot that belongs to the businesses in the strip mall that the garden is behind. I like this spot. It is kind of secluded and peaceful. I visited during the winter, so not much was growing, which is a shame. I hope to make it back when this place is in full bloom and has come to life. It is definitely worth checking out. As Fritz put it, "This is a spot where people can come and sit without having to pay for anything. They can simply sit and receive."

The Gleaning Garden is a community garden located in the middle of suburbia, a place not typically…read moreassociated with urban or community gardening. Specifically at the Monon Square Shopping Center Based on a combination of researching before creating this page online, as well as talking to the mildly intoxicated drunk dude who approached my girlfriend and I while we were browsing the garden, I found out a little bit of the purpose behind this garden. The Gleaning Garden is essentially a community garden started by a combination of residents and business owners who operate in the strip mall. The Garden area is owned by the strip mall. Some of the business owners actually use the garden either for home-use or to use within their restaurants, while others are just gardening for fun. The garden's main purpose is to help people experiencing food insecurity within Hamilton County. Anyone experiencing food insecurity is free to take what they want straight from the garden. The garden is also periodically harvested and donated to a church's food pantry. There are two garden entrance gates on the east and west ends of the garden. There is also a path leading to the garden from the strip mall, as well as a path through the small clump of trees that also lead to the garden. There are a few structures within the trails. The garden also features a few lawn ornaments which are...uh...unique. This is a quirky and fun community gathering spot in a suburb that really doesn't do that kind of thing often, so stop by next time you're on the Monon. Current also has a write-up about the Gleaning Garden: http://youarecurrent.com/2018/08/28/a-healthy-harvest-as-gleaning-garden-grows-so-does-its-ability-to-help-food-insecure/

This greenspace is located behind Cleo's Bodega Grocery and Café and in front of the Flanner House…read more This space was awarded by IPL as part of their Project GreenSpace program in 2018, in partnership with Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, Groundwork Indy and the Center of Wellness for Urban Women. Previously it was a vacant lot, that was transformed into the greenspace you see today. It has some information placards, some stone seating, and rectangular shaped garden space. There is also rock paved walkways and a garden pergola. Unfortunately, I visited during the cold months, so there were not plants or blooms. The greenspace was dead. I hope to return in the spring and see this place come to life. The space is intended to be a place where local residents can pick fruit, care for fruit trees, learn about nutrition, and participate in activities such as yoga and community parties. The greenspace has a huge parking lot that belongs to the Flanner House right behind it, so parking is not an issue. I recommend checking this place out during plant season. In addition to being a garden, it is somewhat a peaceful and soothing spot to just sit and chill. Even though it is located right off of a busy street.

This orchard and community garden is open to the public. People are free to gather the food that…read morethey need that grows from this garden, which makes me really happy. I love that the community cares for this garden, and the community is invited to enjoy its bounty. When I visited during the winter, the Flanner House Orchard was covered with snow and didn't have any fruit or vegetables growing. I'm looking forward to coming back to see what it looks like in the summer when things are blooming!

Amazing experience!! So cool for the kids to learn about how syrup is created and to try it as well!read more

Went with the family to check out the Maple Madness free event that they had today! Great job! It…read morewas chilly, but the sun was out and they had fire pits. They went through the history of the park, showed 3 different ways of how they get the sap from the trees and even had some taste testing at the end! It was fun and informative! Thank you!

Small grassy area near the Humane Society in town where you can actually register for your own…read moregarden space to plant flowers, veggies, or whatever. Mostly for apartment dwellers, or others who have no garden space, who want to plant a garden. I don't think anyone would steal your veggies here, except for maybe the rabbits, ha. Also is a nice place to walk you dog around for a bit and to play. It's never busy here, being a small town and all, it's probably not even hardly known. But I think its a cool resource and use of the land there. It's always kept mowed and nice looking by the town.

Holloway's Garden is a urban neighborhood garden specializes in unique varieties fresh cut,…read morebouquets, and edible flowers at our urban farm on the Near East side of Indianapolis. They have partnered with Growing Places Indy whose mission is to empower people to "cultivate individual, family, and community wellness through urban agriculture, access to fresh local food, and mind-body education." Growing Places Indy sponsors the Young Grow Getters Program, a paid, six-week intensive hands-on youth agriculture program. They produce some beautiful flowers including jowey paulas, peonies, ranunculus, zinnias, lisianthus and snapdragons. They are not your usally flowers that you always hear about, but equally as beautiful, if not more so. The garden itself is not very big, but serves a greater purpose than just providing flowers. It is the only green space within miles of that neighborhood. It is located right on the corner and hard to miss. They operate year-round and they sell their goods on site, just check their social media for days and times. You can also find their flowers at local markets such as SoBro Farmers Market, where they are a regular vendor. If you want to support local. This is the place for you. You cannot get more local than this. This is a nice business that supports some very positive programs. They have some exotic flowers that would surely make a wonderful surprise for that someone special.

How cool! This place is a hidden gem right behind Tulip Tree apartments near the IU campus…read more There are a lot of beautiful things to see here. Tons of plants and flowers! The smell of flowers was amazing. The staff are friendly and eagerly told me to check everything out and enjoy. There are shaded areas and sunny areas outside as well as a greenhouse. All is open to the public for free. There were many benches along the site too so if you got tired you could rest. My father in law was feeling tired in the sun so he enjoyed resting on a bench in the shade. Decorations are lovely, atmosphere welcoming and scenery just amazingly beautiful. They do have events occasionally and it looks like students and the public are welcome to enjoy the scene or even learn about gardening. Overall, a lovely way to spend some time if you are a nature lover like me!

From the owner: Hilltop Garden & Nature Center was first established by IU Biology Professor, Barbara Shalucha in…read more1948. Hilltop has primarily focused on youth gardening, but has expanded its reach throughout the University and surrounding community to provide opportunities to learn about different gardening practices and connecting with nature.

Plots to Plates Organic Community Garden is located on the grounds of Carmel Middle School. Not…read moregonna lie: I didn't know this existed until a couple of months ago when my 3rd grader had a field trip here and I was one of the parent helpers. I arrived at the garden and was like, "What the heck? I've been to this school multiple times and I never saw this entire garden ecosystem flourishing here?" But yeah, there's a community garden at the back of Carmel Middle School! So good. To get to the garden, use the entrance by the tennis courts and then drive all the way back to the woods. This community garden is used often in the spring for Carmel Clay school field trips, but it's also used by the community as a place to plant and harvest produce. According to the website, the space is intended for public gardening, education and community fellowship. You can apply for one of the 123 garden plots available to the general public and schools. Garden plots are 4 feet by 15 feet. There is usually a waitlist for these garden plots, but you can get on the waitlist by visiting the website. Spots usually open at the beginning of the year. This is a very tidy and nice community garden, and you can tell that the people who use it love it and take care of it. There's a designated space for compost, which is neat. There's also a small playground at the garden, which is nice for people who visit with children: the kids can play while and adult gardens.

This is an amazing venue space. Came here with Kiara for a vision board making event and had a…read moreblast. This was my first time here, and I was pleased with the whole concept of it. It's a co-working space, for those who have small businesses or work from home. The guy working the front (Ja'ir) was so kind and helpful, he answered all of our questions and told us a little bit about the place. The name P30 reflects where it is, which is 30th and post. He informed us that the facility is for the community, to rebrand the far east side, I love that! Inside you'll find a coffee shop, which wasn't open when I came, but I'd love to come back and try it out. They offer day passes to utilize what they have to offer or you can become a member. The building is fairly new and each room has a name that relates to the east side. The room we worked in was called "The Mitt" which refers to the street "Mitthoefer." They have gender neutral restroom along with designated women/men restroom stalls. The restrooms were clean, but the water to wash my hands was very cold. They have a large parking lot for easy access. I'm thinking of using a day pass to have a study session, try the coffee, and explore more of what this place has to offer.

I have been to P30 a few times to meet up with people or just for events that were held here. P30…read moreis a cospace place where people can rent rooms or become a member. They have different prices for memberships or to rent out a suite. I find P30 to be very nice especially for the community out on 30th and Post. The worker Ja'ir had explained to me the meaning behind P30 the last time I was there. I had enjoyed my talk with his because you can understand the passion behind P30 especially with them trying to pour into the community out there and to help the community to understand they too can be business people. There is a coffee shop inside there but it wasn't open when I was there. I see the prices are very reasonable. If you are looking for a space to work out of definitely check out P30 if you are in the area and need something because they give out day passes.

If you're looking for a great park to take the kids, get a walk or run in, or even hop on a bike,…read morethis spot is perfect! The playground equipment is super nice--you can definitely tell they put some money and effort into making it great. It's right next to the canal, so once the kids are done playing, you can head out for a walk or rent a bike and ride along the water. There's even a dog park area, which is a huge plus if you want to bring your pup along. They have poop bag stations stocked and ready, so no worries if you forget yours. The whole place was really clean too--I didn't see any trash around, which shows people actually care about keeping it nice. The only downside is that there aren't any restrooms by the park. So definitely make sure you (and especially the kids) empty your bladders before you get there, otherwise you'll end up leaving to find a bathroom nearby. Parking is mostly street parking, and yes, you'll need to feed the meter. But if you go on a Sunday or a holiday (like I did), you're in luck--free parking! And honestly, who doesn't love free parking downtown?

This place is really dang cool. Tons of things for the kids to climb around on and explore. The…read moresurface was pretty spongy so if one did fall it would most likely not be too bad. I took my family here to get them amped up before heading down the road to goto the awesome Childrens Museum. This is a must visit park if your kids love climbing on EVERYTHING!