ABOUT PROJECT GROW
Mission Statement
Project Grow Community Gardens provides the space, education, and inspiration to make organic gardening accessible to all.
What we do...
Project Grow manages 18 community garden sites, enabling hundreds of local gardeners to green their thumbs every year. Our Discovery Gardens, located at the Leslie Science & Nature Center and County Farm Park, provide unique and inspirational garden communities for seniors, children and gardeners with disabilities.
All of our programs are based on sustainable methods, enriching the land through soil improvement, landscaping, plantings and careful stewardship. All of our gardens are strictly organic.
Where did we come from?
Project Grow has been a part of the Ann Arbor community since 1972. Click here to read an article about Project Grow's roots.
Classes & Workshops
Project Grow conducts community-based education. Classes and programs offered specialize in gardening-related topics for adults, senior citizens, children, schools and groups. Classes apply organic gardening methods to topics that vary each year. For 2012, look for courses in heirloom vegetables, composting, food preservation and more. Project Grow also sponsors an Organic Gardening Certification Program in partnership with Washtenaw Community College.
We are proud of the fact that our community-based classes are generally free of charge, so that anyone wishing to learn about organic gardening can do so easily. When fees are necessary, they are set at as low as possible, just to cover the costs of facilitating the class.
Community Partnerships
Project Grow collaborates with numerous community organizations to fulfill its mission. Partnerships with local schools, businesses, government agencies, and other non-profit organizations provide innovative organic gardening programs, resources, and mentorship to community members most in need. Project Grow gardeners donate many pounds of fresh produce each summer to local organizations, including Food Gatherers, Safe House Domestic Violence Center, and others. Our volunteer program welcomes individuals and groups to lend a hand throughout the season. It's a great chance to start or continue greening your thumb!
Every one of our partnerships gives us pride. However, a partnership has developed over the years between the Eagle Scouts program of the Boys Scouts of America and Project Grow that warrants public recognition. At different times, individual scouts have built permanent wooden fences, raised beds, and a pergola for the Discovery Garden in their bid to attain that coveted rank. Mitchell Lichtenberg achieved that high status by completing his project of designing and building wooden signs for the many beds at the Discovery Garden. In 2010, Andrew Best repaired many of the raised beds in the Discovery Garden.
Who makes Project Grow grow?
Project Grow is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors. Day-to-day business and program management is carried out by a managing mirector. Every community garden has at least one site coordinator, who serves as a vital link between the gardeners and the organization. Volunteers play an essential role in fulfilling our mission, from garden support and management to special events planning and program facilitation.
General Information
Kirk Jones, our managing director, can be reached by phone at 734-996-3169 or, for fastest response, email him at info@projectgrowgardens.org
