Even with all the gardening books, websites, and resources available, there’s still no better way to learn about the rewards and challenges of sustainable gardening than doing it yourself. Therefore, Cultivating Community focuses on providing hands-on education at our two working gardens, where University of Michigan students can experience every step from planning to harvesting (and eating!)
- Ginsberg Center Garden
Building the herb spiral at the Ginsberg Center.
Conveniently located on campus at the
Ginsberg Center, this garden is a great, visible site for us where UM students can help demonstrate small-scale, urban garden techniques such as vertical planting, composting and mulching, crop rotation, and season extension. We grow both familiar and more unusual crops; stop by in late summer to taste an heirloom tomato or in October to see spinach and Red Russian kale still growing after the fall frost. In 2008, we’ve incorporated a permaculture herb spiral, rain barrels, and educational signage into the garden.
Ginsberg Garden Location
- Matthaei Botanical Gardens "Adaptable Spaces Garden"
Transplanting parsley to the Adaptable Spaces Garden.
Cultivating Community’s first garden (in 2005) was at Matthaei. Now, we’re incredibly excited to partner with
Project Grow in creating and maintaining a public display garden that demonstrates how to adapt food and flower gardening to a variety of spaces, resources, and physical abilities. The exhibit models various gardening methods including raised beds, an enabling table, home composting, container gardens, even a burlap sack garden! Students have a chance to learn gardening techniques designed for people with limited space, resources or physical abilities and can help educate Matthaei visitors about how to incorporate food production into almost any landscape.
Matthaei Botanical Gardens Location
Cultivating Community student volunteers are able to take home as much of the garden produce as they want. University of Michigan Chef Nelson “Buzz” Cummings also takes small amounts of herbs and other produce for use in the East Quad cafeteria and other University dining areas. Excess produce is donated to the local food bank, Food Gatherers.
