Are you a veteran gardener or just appreciate a pretty bloom or the scent of a fragrant herb? You will find something of interest as a Gardens at Gantz Volunteer.

The volunteers have supported the Gardens at Gantz Farm since 1991 through education, fund raising and charitable efforts in Grove City and nearby communities. This diverse group of men and women comes from across central Ohio to operate as an independent, non-profit organization.

Our goal is to encourage the interest in and use of herbs, assist with the development and historic preservation of the Gardens at Gantz Farm - and have fun along the way.

1. Contact Gloria Hartung at the Gardens at Gantz Farmhouse at 614.871.6323
2. Attend a training session to learn more about the gardens
3. Pay annual dues
4. Attend Volunteer meetings held five or six times a year
5. Participate in Volunteer activities described above, with a commitment of 10 hours per year. Volunteers contribute 20 hours their first year.
6. Plan to have fun!

Here is a partial list of the many activities available to volunteers:

Host or attend workshops

Participate in interest groups focusing on specific topics

Conduct tours of the Gantz Gardens

Go on road trips within Ohio and to adjacent states (tea shops, museums, gardens, greenhouses/shops, festivals)

Assist with plantings at community nursing homes

Make and sell items at the Grove City Farmers Market

Take advantage of a lending library with hundreds of gardening-related media

The volunteers host two annual fund raisers that make our activities possible and support the gardens:

• Spring Symposium
  Usually held in March, this event attracts more than 100 guests from across Ohio and neighboring states. Each symposium features three or four renowned speakers, brunch, an herbal-themed lunch, unique vendors, favors and door prizes. Volunteers may attend at a discount.
• Plant Sale
  Held the Saturday before Mother’s Day, hundreds of varieties of herbs, perennials, daylilies, grasses and other plants are sold to the community. Volunteers receive a discount on their purchases.

Supporting a cause is at the heart of everything we do at the Gardens at Gantz Farm. Adam Gantz purchased the original 100 acre farm in 1832 for $7.50. After being in the family for many generations, the remaining Gantz property was donated to Grove City in the 1980’s. By then the property had fallen into disrepair.

But by 1988, plans were underway to create a city park and develop the gardens, which include the reproduction of a 19th century kitchen garden, called "The Garden of Yesterday". Other areas are the "Garden of Today", the "Garden of Tomorrow", and specialty sections featuring herbs used for dyeing and for medicinal purposes.

The farmhouse was renovated into a modern facility used to host meetings, classes, the volunteer offices, and an extensive lending library for volunteers.