The garden was created in 2011 with very limited funding and only 17 original members. Initially started as a garden club, the name was changed to the Sugar Hill Community Garden and the first garden board was formed in 2012. In addition to the garden, the barn was also built in 2011 which included a weathervane and a stained-glass window from the Gardner family’s farmhouse.

Early gardening was done in various forms. Some people tilled the ground and farmed in traditional methods whereas others used varying sizes of raised garden plots. Over the next few years, a deer fence was added, an irrigation system was set up and the parking lot was paved. During this time, water was pumped from the nearby Richland Creek. Due to the filter constantly getting clogged up with silt from the creek, the city decided to convert to county water for a much more reliable source.

The highlight of the garden’s revitalization efforts is the complete rebuilding and expansion of existing plots. The old, rotten frames were removed, and larger, taller frames were built to provide an increased utilization rate of 50% for the garden area. A pollination garden was built in 2020 and expanded in 2021.