The pages on the Community Gardens tab will be updated throughout the 2026 season. Check back regularly for updated information. All updates will align with the Garden Member Information Packet emailed to current garden members in the spring of 2026.
Gardening with Project Grow
Project Grow is committed to teaching, promoting, and practicing environmental stewardship. We are given access to the land these garden sites are located on by others and expect our garden members to respect these spaces, fellow gardeners, and the community at large. To that end, the following practices are expected of all member gardeners. If you have any questions, ask your site coordinator or email [email protected].
Important Reminders
● Plots must be seriously worked (paths/beds, plantings/mulch covering at least ¾ of the plot) by June 1. See Quick Start below for help.
● Look for email contact from the garden site coordinator by early May (check Spam folders).
● Complete service hours by December 1.
● Annual/semi-annual plots must be cleared by dusk the third Saturday of October.
● Perennial plots with dead annual or perennial plants must also adhere to the third Saturday rule above. All frost-tolerant annuals not in production must be cleared by November 30 of any year.
● Plots overgrown with weeds taller than 18" at any point in the season may be considered abandoned.
● Gardeners who do not follow the practices outlined in this document face losing their plot.
● The managing director will review the gardens for maintenance issues.
● Contact information updates are the responsibility of the gardener.
Maintaining Your Garden
Maintaining Your Garden Maintaining your garden encompasses four primary areas, all sustaining the soil, plants, people & community the garden plots are located in.
- Planting: vegetables, fruits, flowers, herbs, medicinals
- Maintaining: fencing, mulching, watering, weeding, composting
- Harvesting: for yourself/family, neighbors, community
- Engaging: paying attention to the world around you, however small, and learning more about it.
All areas together involve active gardening. These plots are not spaces to store materials or visit occasionally. They are spaces to grow, learn, and engage. Expect to spend two to five hours a week tending them to get the most out of this season. You get the best return when you put in the time. The Garden Member Information Packet identifies the practices you agreed to when you applied for a garden plot with Project Grow.
Quick Start
Get a quick start in your plot once your site opens (annual plots) or early in the spring (perennial plots).
- Connect with your site coordinator: they are the best source of information about your garden site.
- Plan your approach: pathways, easy-access beds, fencing, infrastructure, plantings.
- Watch the daily low temps: nighttime temps in Michigan can surprise you even in mid-May.
- Mulch: around established seedlings, your pathways, spaces you have not planted yet, all-around coverage.
- Hand weed: as needed.
- Connect with your plot neighbors: it’s always helpful to have extra hands/eyes/seeds/starts available as help or to help.
Community Service Hours
Our managing director, board, committee chairs, and site coordinators rely on the help of all our gardeners every year to keep the gears moving. In the past, these have been variously referred to as volunteer hours, work parties, etc. Service hours is the term we’ll use when we refer to shared work needs at Project Grow garden sites, events or initiatives. This is our first year using a centralized sign-up approach, so there may be some hiccups. Fulfillment of the service hours may be a factor in plot renewal eligibility. Minimum hour requirements are based on plot rental size each season.
- Minimum of 3 service hours for less than a full plot.
- Minimum of 5 service hours for a full plot or more.
- We’re using SignUp Genius to manage this.
- Commit at least part of your hours to the site where you garden.
- Our sites have different needs and expectations around what counts as service hours.
- Pick tasks that match your schedule, skills, and interests.
Opportunities will be available:
- Across our garden sites;
- At community events Project Grow hosts (Plant Sale, Tomato Tasting);
- At community events in which Project Grow participates (information tables, city events, etc.);
- Supporting organization initiatives/needs (committees, infrastructure improvements, etc.) and
- Opportunities may also be listed in the monthly Project Grow Newsletter.
