Groundwork Milwaukee is gearing up for the growing season. Below is a recap of what we did in March and what we’ll be working on in the near future. In April, we’re looking forward to our Community Garden Health Hub kick-off events which are underway in participating gardens. We’re also excited to lead the annual clean-up of Lincoln Creek with community partners. There’s so much going on! Come join us! Click the tiles below for program-specific updates or just scroll down to read it all!
health hubs
garden network
Kilbourn garden
maglio farm
shared harvest
urban waters
youth green literacy
sky schools wellness circle
climate safe neighborhoods
HEALTH HUBS
Last Friday, Groundwork Milwaukee kicked off its Community Garden Health Hub programming with We Got This and Running Rebels. Participating in urban gardening can have the effect of improving the number of servings of fresh food eaten, number of hours spent engaged in moderate physical activity, and the number of positive social interactions for gardeners. Studies have shown that when people engage in more of these activities they also reduce their risk factors for chronic disease. Gardens designated as Health Hubs will be provided intensive support and guidance for gardeners over the coming season. Groundwork plans to lead trainings on planting, preparing, and preserving fresh food through in-person and virtual, cohort based activities. Join us for upcoming Health Hub kick-offs.
Health Hub Kick-Off Events
*UPDATE: Both of these events were originally scheduled for April 10th, but have been rescheduled for April 17th due to rain on the original date.
Uptown Crossing Garden
2321-25 N 45th Street
Saturday, April 17th
2:00pm-5:00pm
Peace Place Garden with Heartlove
3240-48 N Martin Luther King Drive
Saturday, April 17th
9:00am-12:00pm
GARDEN NETWORK
Garden Welcome Signs
Over the past couple months, volunteers have created 45 welcome signs for our Milwaukee Grows Garden Network. This project has been a hit with volunteers and garden leaders alike. This month, we will begin placing them at our 80+ sites to welcome community members to the spaces!
New Gardens
Shout out to our new gardens! Last month, Solomon Community Temple and NIA Purpose Garden joined the Milwaukee Grows Garden Network. We can’t wait to see what you’ll grow in your new green space!
Neighborhood Cluster Clean-Up
*THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED*
Please check back at a later time for more information on Cluster Clean-Ups.
Spring cleaning of Groundwork gardens has begun! We’ll be doing Neighborhood Cluster Clean-ups throughout April and May to ready community green spaces within our Milwaukee Grows Garden Network for the growing season. Clean-ups will take place at a series of gardens located within walking distance from one another.
The first clean-up is on Saturday, April 17th from 9am - 2pm in the 53212 zip code. We’ll begin at Summer of Peace Park and Garden (2904 N. 5th St.) and continue southeast to five other sites, ending at Riverwest Garden School (831 E. Clarke St.).
We will have trash bags, leaf bags, garbage pickers and gloves for safe pick-up.
If you are interested in participating, please sign-up at our sign-up genius link, here. Elena Olsen-Valdez, our Volunteer & Community Programs Specialist will follow-up with liability forms and waivers.
Summer of Peace Park and Garden
2904 N 5th Street
Saturday, April 17th
9:00am-2:00pm
Thank You Stein’s Garden & Home!
Thank you to our partners at Stein’s. Their generous gift of seeds, tools and soil supplements will help our gardeners grow this season!
KILBOURN GARDEN
Registration is open for Kilbourn Garden. There are still beds available. Follow the link below to reserve your garden bed today! We look forward to seeing you in the garden!
Maglio Farm
Planting has already begun at the Maglio Farm! Starting this April 6th, we’re officially launching our growing season hours. We’re out at the farm four days a week and need all the help we can get! Our harvest help shift is great for folks who want to support our work, but can’t commit to a full workday. It’s also the most family-friendly activity on the farm!
As we lay the groundwork for a big summer harvest, the greens we cared for this winter have grown mature, and we’ve been able to harvest throughout this March.
shared harvest
A huge thanks to Little Laurentide Farm for dropping off a huge donation (48 lbs!) of salad greens, brought directly to Solomon Community Temple. Do you want to donate produce for Shared Harvest this summer?
Free Seeds
We’re offering *free seeds* for gardeners who commit to donating part of their harvest. Sign up on the Fresh Food Connect app now, or, if you’re not in an activated zipcode, email samson@groundworkmke.org to receive more information on how to pick up seeds.
Free Gardening Workshop
Join us for a free gardening workshop on April 30th at Maglio Farm, open to the public!
Soil Health 101 for Gardeners: Good gardeners grow food, but GREAT gardeners grow soil! We'll break soil science down to plain language, so what you need to know as a gardener.
Friday, April 30th
5:30pm-6:30pm
at Maglio Farm
Urban Waters
Come join Groundwork Milwaukee and Milwaukee Riverkeeper in the Annual Spring Cleanup from 9am-12pm on Saturday, April 24th. We will be hosting the cleanup at Groundwork’s Adopt-A-River site between Sherman Boulevard and Hopkins Street along Congress. Our section is along Lincoln Creek which is a tributary of the Milwaukee River. We will meet on the northwest corner of Congress and Hopkins St, near 3510 West Congress Street. Park on Congress Street on either side of the river. We will supply all necessary gear, just be sure to wear comfortable clothing and durable shoes as there is a steep decline to the creek. Our site is designated as a Class III, meaning there is a lot of cleaning up to do. We will need your help! Register to help by clicking the button below.
Youth Green Literacy
Through generous donations, a SeedMoney Garden Grant, community members’ plant propagation donations and students’ efforts to collect repurpose-able materials, we assembled 50 take-home kits for 6th-8th graders at Craig Montessori! Throughout March, Groundwork Milwaukee has provided experiential learning remotely. Students have learned how to find the best sun in their home, check the moisture level of their plants and how to troubleshoot small issues using their observations.
Sky Schools Wellness Circles
Groundwork Milwaukee is happy to host a Wellness Circle in partnership with SKY Schools Milwaukee. We invite ALL of Milwaukee to join us in this community conversation and empathy-expanding experience. How? Participants are invited to explore areas of their own identity, their wellness needs and the wellness needs of their community using diversity/equity tools and mindfulness/social/emotional learning processes.
Please come join us this Thursday, April 8th from 4:30pm-6:00pm, here.
climate safe neighborhoods
Climate Safe Neighborhoods was mentioned in the media again. This time in Yale Climate Connections. Check out the full article below.
