Community Roots

We are working to rehabilitate the former Glass Gardens Nursery property and have developed as:
A Com Kuo, F.E. (2003). Journal of Arboriculture 29(3), 148-155.

Formerly known as Glass Gardens Greenhouse, the approximately six acres at the end of West Gambier Street in Mount Vernon has experienced a shift in land use since Glass Gardens closed its doors in 2010. Now known as Community Roots, these abandoned greenhouses and fields are being used as the site of community programs that restore the historical horticultural use, while also developing agricultu

ral and land stewardship programs. We are seeking to directly support and supplement:

Local Food Production (e.g. we are a member of the Knox County Local Food Council, and have supplied fresh produce to The Alcove Restaurant & Lounge, Door 142)

Local school science education standards (STEAM)

Agricultural & horticultural education (eg. 4H, FFA, KCCC, OSU Extension-Knox Co, etc)

Wilderness skills and programs (scouts, orienteering, camping, bluebird & butterfly monitoring, plant and insect identification, Natural Fit Outdoor Adventures)

Community Health programs (e.g. TouchPointe, Hospice of Knox County, Opportunity Knox, OhioJobs, MERIT court)

We also want to support families with a space that can be used as a public learning location, something akin to a hybrid between a community center and a library. This space would be available for students to do or receive help with homework, while in a setting that uses natural design to create a relaxed environment. Studies have shown that having natural elements in design and increasing time with nature & greenspace can:

Lower blood pressure
Lower rates of aggression
Lower incidence of mental health issues 2
Incivilities (vandalism, foul language use, etc.) 2

1. The retail nursery business moved to Sandusky Street and is known today as Forster’s Seeds of Quality
2. The role of arboriculture in a healthy social ecology: Invited review article for a Special Section.

05/30/2026

Did you sleep in and miss the farmers market?
NO PROBLEM!
You can find our bread at until 4pm today!

We also restocked the sage bundles and garlic bulbs for ya!🤗

05/29/2026

FREE YOGA!
In the gardens with Cana Smith
10am
TOMORROW
Saturday May 30
1104 W. Gambier St.
Mount Vernon, OH

FREE ((suggested donation$5)
Bring your own mat and a towel for dewy grass!
SEE YOU THERE!!

05/28/2026

🍃 Rust Never Sleeps (Especially After a Wet Ohio May…)
If your raspberries are looking a little… glowy orange, you’re not imagining things. What you’re seeing is raspberry rust, a fungal pathogen that thrives in exactly the conditions we’ve been having—cool temps, high humidity, and plenty of rain.
Those bright orange patches on the leaves? That’s the fungus producing spores, and once it gets going, it spreads fast.
🌧️ Why now?
All those recent downpours across central Ohio created the perfect environment for rust to take hold—wet leaves + poor airflow = fungal paradise.
🫐 Why are black raspberries hit harder?
We’ve noticed (and research backs this up) that black raspberries tend to be more susceptible than red raspberries. They naturally have denser growth and slightly different leaf characteristics, which can hold moisture longer—giving rust the upper hand.
✂️ What can we do about it (without chemicals)?
We manage rust the old-fashioned way—by changing the environment:
Prune aggressively to open up airflow
Thin canes so plants aren’t overcrowded
Remove infected leaves/canes to slow spread
Keep foliage dry when possible (good spacing matters!)
It’s not about eliminating the fungus entirely—it’s about making your raspberry patch a place it doesn’t want to live.
🌱 Healthy plants aren’t just about what you add… sometimes it’s about what you take away.

05/27/2026

May really tried to turn our gardens into wetlands this year. 🌧️
Just when things started to dry out, today brought one last soaking here in central Ohio—beds saturated, paths squishy, and boots working overtime.
But this is the kind of challenge that pushes us to work with the system instead of against it.
One of the ways we’re doing that right now is by cutting back our cover crops—like the beautiful (and slightly chaotic) hairy vetch you see here. Instead of pulling it out, we chop it down and leave it right on the soil surface. That’s not neglect… that’s strategy.
Hairy vetch is a legume, which means it pulls nitrogen out of the air and stores it in the soil. When we cut it down, it becomes a slow-release fertilizer—feeding the next round of crops without a bag of anything from the store.
Even better, it acts like a living compost system:
🌱It protects the soil from pounding rain (which we’ve had plenty of)
🌱It improves soil structure, helping drainage in soggy conditions
🌱It feeds soil microbes and builds organic matter over time
🌱It keeps weeds from taking over while we wait for drier days
So while May left us soaked and a little behind schedule, the garden is still working—quietly building fertility under our feet.
Sometimes progress doesn’t look neat. Sometimes it looks like a tangled patch of vetch and muddy boots.
And that’s okay. 🌱

05/26/2026

Whatta volunteer Tuesday!!!! Thank you, garden troops!!!!
After that rain it was good to give some love to the gardens!
We mowed.
We cleaned out and worked on an old tub we’re turning into a planter!
We weeded.
We planted.
We seeded!
We rescued praying mantis eggs!
And we started rehabilitation of our cut flower garden 🪏
Like a big ole hug for our special space 🤗

05/23/2026

🧘Thank you, yogis!
We got rained out again but we tried! And we’ll do it again next week!

05/22/2026

🌱 Morning Greetings Yoga… or Morning Weather Watching? 🧘‍♀️

At this point, our Saturday yoga practice has become less “sun salutations” and more “cloud negotiations.” 😅

We’ve been trying to get Saturday Morning Greetings going all month… and let’s just say central Ohio has had other plans. Cold snaps, storms, soggy gardens—you name it, we’ve stretched through it (emotionally, at least).

And tomorrow? Well… the forecast is once again looking a little too committed to the “water element.” 🌧️

That said—we’re always ready to roll (yes, yoga mat pun fully intended) if the weather pulls off a last-minute miracle. So don’t completely give up on us—or the sunshine—just yet.

As always, class is weather-dependent, which means we’re likely rained out again… but still holding onto a tiny, stubborn seed of optimism. 🌤️

Stay tuned, keep your mats handy, and maybe do a quick sun dance for us.

—Community Roots 🌿
110 4 W. Gambier St. in Mount Vernon
10AM
Saturday mornings
FREE!

05/21/2026

We had on our minds and in our hands for good reason today 🔥🌱

Even though they aren’t open to the public this week, we had the chance to jump in and help serve lunch at a private Ariel event for their team. Good food, good people, and a whole lot of community spirit.

And back at the garden? We spotted our very first bell pepper forming in the Grindhouse bed 👀 Grown right alongside the tomatoes, onions, and all those nacho-worthy toppings we’ve been tending with care.

From plate to plant and back again — this is what local connection looks like 💚

05/20/2026

🌍🐝 World Bee Day 2026 🐝🌍

Today we’re celebrating some of the hardest-working (and often most underappreciated) members of our community — bees.

These tiny pollinators are responsible for about 1 in every 3 bites of food we eat. No bees = no blueberries, no squash, no almonds… and honestly, a much less interesting dinner plate.

But here’s the catch: bee populations are still under serious pressure from habitat loss, pesticides, and climate shifts.

At Community Roots, we believe change starts small — sometimes as small as a flower.

🌼 Plant native flowers
🌿 Skip the pesticides
💧 Leave a little wild space in your yard
🐝 Support local pollinator-friendly growers

Even a few square feet can become a lifeline.

If you’ve visited our gardens, you’ve already met some of our buzzing neighbors hard at work — and they’re not asking for much. Just a place to land.

(And FUN FACT: as associated with busyness as bees are, they were the first invertebrates to be observed sleeping in a research study conducted in 1983! When bees sleep, they stop moving their antennae, relax their legs, and let their heads droop downward. In some cases, they can fall over sideways! CUTE!)

Let’s grow spaces that give back.

05/19/2026

✨Photo by !!✨
THANK YOU TUESDAY VOLUNTEERS!
You showed up in the rain,
Donated supplies and plants,
And held down the fort in crazy weather!
💕We feel loved 🥰

Address

1104 W Gambier Street
Mount Vernon, OH
43050

Telephone

+17402637484

Website

http://www.communityrootsohio.org/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Community Roots posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Organization

Send a message to Community Roots:

Shortcuts

Want your organization to be the top-listed Non Profit Organization in Mount Vernon?