Find a Garden
Listed below are groups who are a part of our Growing Gardens membership network. Many of these groups offer plots for community members to garden and are a great opportunity to get to know neighbors, learn more about gardening and have access to space for growing that people might not have otherwise. Each garden is set up different and they are not all plot-rental or communal gardens. Please email the garden steward listed under each community garden for more information. Growing Hope doesn't manage these gardens-- we just refer you to the volunteers who do!
Perry / Parkridge Community Garden-
Perry/Parkridge Community Garden is now a plot rental garden. AmeriCorps VISTA's from Parkridge Community Center are working with Growing Hope to assist low-income families with the rising cost of food by providing them the oppportunity to grow and harvest as well as inspiring our neighborhood youth to develop the art of gardening. The garden steward is Sandy Eyl perrygarden@gmail.com
Midtown Community Garden-
Located on the corner of Congress St. and Normal St. in Ypsilanti, MI. Midtown is a neighborhood garden that uses a plot-rental style. Check out the guidelines and if interested fill out the application. The new garden steward is Aaron Krueger; contact him at (734) 634-4791 or email at aaronbkrueger@yahoo.com. As of April 28, there are still plots available in this garden.
Normal Park Community Garden-
Located at 105 N. Mansfield St. in Ypsilanti. This partner garden is a neighborhood garden that uses a plot-rental style. Check out the guidelines and if interested fill out the application. The Garden Steward is Jessica Faul 483-4690 or jfaul@umich.edu. See their new website!
Lakeshore Apartment Complex- One of the few apartment communities in Washtenaw County that allows their residents to use every square foot of the community for growing Hope. The Lake Shore Apartments located on Ford Lake formed a community garden with the assistance of Growing Hope in 2010; our community, just like our garden, continues to grow because of the people. Steward is Kat Dickenson kdickenson@lakeshore.net
Ann Arbor Center for Independent Living- Breaking soil in the spring of 2010, the Better Together Garden is a brand-new addition to an array of inclusive recreation programming offered on-site at the Ann Arbor Center for Independent Living. As a community garden comprised of mixed-height plots, four of which are easily accessible to wheelchair users, we welcome participants of all abilities, all ages and all gardening skill levels.www.annarborcil.org
Recreation Park Community Garden-
Recreation Park Community Garden is a rental garden providing growing space for neighbors in the west side neighborhoods of Ypsilanti. We also devote one plot to the “Plant a Row for the Hungry” program, growing & delivering fresh vegetables to Food Gatherers to supply local food pantries and meal programs
Frog Island Community Garden-
This garden is a work of art, having been built in 2007 using many creative and reclaimed materials. The Garden Stewards are Amanda Betzler, amandaruthb@gmail.com and Michelle Shankwiler, shankwiler23@yahoo.com
Chidester Place Community Garden-
Residents at Chidester Place, on the southside of Ypsi near the UAW & Visteon plant, have been gardening in the ground and raised beds (including wheelchair accessible beds) for five years. The garden has both shared area and individual plots. Contact Barbara Heyl at 734-483-1664.
Living Stones Community Farm -Provides organic agriculture training and employment for returning citizens in our county, and healthy vegetables for our community. http://lscfarm.ning.com
West Willow Community Garden-
Located on Tyler Road in front of the West Willow Community Resource Center, this garden, begun in 2008, provides neighborhood growing space in individual and communal plots. It's also the site for a West Willow Summer Garden Nutrition Camp! Contact Angela Barbash for more information.
Ann Arbor Christian Reformed Church is stablishing a Faith and Food garden to actively involve our congregation in a hands-on approach to do God's work feeding the hungry in Washtenaw County. Our garden, designed and constructed by congregational members, is comprised of raised beds surrounded by fencing to keep out our veggie predators. Photos continue to be placed on the church website. www.aacrc.org
Habitat for Humanity Huron Valley is dedicated to providing safe, decent and affordable housing to low income families. Our garden is one of many ways we are expanding to help our Homeowners and Staff connect with and enrich their communities. www.h4h.org
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Growing Hope has partnered in the development of over 40 community & school gardens throughout Washtenaw County and we are excited to help start even more! Every garden looks different, and we like to categorize them into different types based on their primary goals or functions. Many gardens fall into more than one of these categories:
Neighborhood gardens: Often what people think of as a "traditional" community garden, neighbors often rent or adopt plots-- sometimes for a fee-- most often to grow healthy fruits & veggies.
Learning gardens: When a garden's primary goal is education, whether in a school setting, to encourage intergenerational learning, or to share job skills.
Sharing gardens: While all of our partner gardens that grow veggies/fruits participate in Plant A Row for the Hungry, some gardens' primary purpose is growing food for donation to neighbors in need. Whether to donate to Food Gatherers or distributing directly to neighbors, sharing the harvest helps to increase our community's food security.
Market gardens: When we connect gardening with entrepreneurship-- whether to sell our harvests at farmers' markets, or turn them into a value-added product (think salsa from tomatoes), we become market gardeners. What better than local, green, garden-based business that also feed and beautify our communities?
Healing gardens: Also called horticultural therapy, this type of garden is intent on healing mind and body.
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