Bountiful Harvests from Our Learning Garden
Cuyahoga County Public Library (CCPL)
Innovation Synopsis
Celebrating a decade of innovations, the Learning Garden at Cuyahoga County Public Library Warrensville Heights Branch has blossomed into a well-established resource for the community. The presence of this outdoor learning space has allowed kids, families, staff, area vendors and chefs to connect with nature and each other in a myriad of ways. STEAM garden programs include hands-on cultivation of home-grown vegetables and flowers, culinary programs, composting, native plant and insect education, art creation, and physical activity through outdoor games. The Learning Garden has become a key component in the library’s Baby Club and Kindergarten Club programs, Summer Fun for Everyone activities, and it is a popular destination for school field trips. Annual events and programs in the garden include Garden Paint and Plant in the Spring, Harvest Fest in the Fall and the weekly Garden with a Librarian program which has more than tripled its attendance rates in 2026 compared to its 1st year.
Challenge/Opportunity
Warrensville Heights is an inner-ring suburb of Cleveland with more than 1 in 5 residents living in poverty. Many of the residents lack access to green space and the area is considered a “food desert.” These factors make growing fresh produce, outdoor activity and culinary literacy important priorities for programs provided at the Warrensville Heights Branch. In 2016 a community visioning session confirmed a desire for a peaceful green space, a place to physically play, and an opportunity to learn about gardening.
Through a partnership with the Cleveland Botanical Gardens, CCPL was able to create a garden space in a grassy alcove on the side of the Warrensville Heights Branch, which allowed for high visibility from the children’s area, safety from the parking lot, and access to an exit door and a water spigot. Since its inception, new uses of the garden space have proven fruitful for programs impacting multiple generations and blossomed creative integrations to address community needs.
Key Elements of Innovation
Throughout the last decade, we collaborated with community partners to develop a 4,000 sq. ft. outdoor learning space to accommodate creative, interactive programs with hands-on gardening, nature exploration and outdoor play, including:
•Weekly “Garden with a Librarian” programs provide hands-on, multi-generational gardening activities (April – August)
•Culinary literacy and food prep. programs
oFor adults: gazpacho, muhammara, pesto, and mocktails made with fresh herbs
oFor youth: flatbread pizzas, herb butters, refrigerator pickles, mint lemonade, and chocolate mint ice cream
•Hosting Storytimes for children and adult Book Discussions
•Special community partner programs and guest speakers; local naturalists’ programs on composting and beneficial insects
•Nature-based art programs; flower pressing and “plant and paint”
•Using our onsite Innovation Center to create 3D-printed plant labels and glass-etched flower vases
•Annual “Harvest Fest” featuring a day of autumn-themed activities
Achieved Outcomes
On its 10th Anniversary in 2026, the Warrensville Heights Garden was celebrated as a popular, one-of-a-kind Learning Garden, and saw its highest attendance rates. By the end of the gardening season, the Learning Garden hosted 375 attendees for an average of 23 attendees at each weekly session. This shows a 331.7% increase in average attendance from the program series’ first year in 2021, which averaged approximately 5 attendees per session.
By partnering with the Cleveland Botanical Garden in 2016, CCPL first built the garden space. Today, due to innovative programming and funding support, we have established several new community partners:
•Meadow City Native Plant Nursery
•The Cleveland Museum of Natural History
•Lake Farmpark
•Rust Belt Riders
•Youth Opportunities Unlimited
•Warrensville Heights YMCA
•Warrensville Heights City School District
•Cuyahoga Soil and Water Conservation District
•Citizens Climate Lobby
•Xerces Society
•Warrensville Road Community Based Center of Life
