With support from KGD, nearly 30,000 residents are transforming their relationship with food by cultivating a garden. Through the Garden Resource Program (GRP), KGD provides seeds and vegetable transplants to more than 2,200 family, community, school, and market gardens annually. Members also have access to garden necessities such as tools and raised bed materials, as well as technical assistance. To help growers maximize these resources, we host dozens of educational opportunities each ... Read More
With support from KGD, nearly 30,000 residents are transforming their relationship with food by cultivating a garden. Through the Garden Resource Program (GRP), KGD provides seeds and vegetable transplants to more than 2,200 family, community, school, and market gardens annually. Members also have access to garden necessities such as tools and raised bed materials, as well as technical assistance. To help growers maximize these resources, we host dozens of educational opportunities each year that challenge growers of all skill levels to learn something new. Classes are taught by skilled local experts and provide relevant and accessible content on topics such as basic gardening, resource conservation practices, cooking, food preservation, and season extension.
While every garden makes an impact in its own way, it’s the powerful interconnection between gardeners and community-based organizations engaged in the work of transforming our local food system that makes change happen. KGD plays a key role in fostering these connections, encouraging participants to cultivate relationships during the shared workdays and community events that we host, as well as through neighborhood-based resource centers, which provide local access to resources like compost and wood chips.
As one of KGD’s cornerstone programs, Grown in Detroit (GID) connects GRP members to opportunities to sell their produce directly to consumers. In addition to providing excellent
training and education for new entrepreneurs, our organization assists with promotion, produce aggregation, stall rental fees, and much more. With the support of a diverse group of veteran GID growers actively engaged as mentors to beginners, GID provides a supportive pathway for more residents to enter the marketplace each season. Many GID participants have used what they learned to successfully launch small-scale food businesses.
At the epicenter of all our efforts is the KGD Farm, a 1.38 acre urban farm located in Detroit’s historic Eastern Market District. Critical to the success of our core programs, the KGD Farm is where a majority of GRP transplants are grown, where we host many workshops and community events, and is a place for growers from across the city to hone their craft.
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