FUN FACT: Detroit has the earliest frost-free date (when hot crops can be planted) in the state – May 12.
Hey, it’s JB!
The sun is back, perennials are emerging, and residents across the city are getting ready to grow.
As we enter the growing season, there are a ton of resources in Detroit for gardeners, urban farmers, and those who are just getting started.
This Saturday, Keep Growing Detroit is hosting a free Gardening 101 class at the Edison Branch of the Detroit Public Library. Additionally, consider applying to Keep Growing Detroit’s Garden Resource Program. For just $15 a year, you receive seeds, transplants, personalized garden assistance, and a connection to a large network of gardeners and farmers across the city.
On April 26, the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History is hosting a free gardening event featuring a swap and a workshop led by Olayami Dabls of Mbad African Bead Museum. Participants will create various African-centered patterns to produce a nature-inspired garden using recycled materials from Arts & Scraps.
The city’s Office of Sustainability Urban Agriculture Division hosts weekly office hours virtually and in-person to offer help with urban farming. The office is also helping to match volunteers interested in learning about urban farming with farmers who need support. Reach out.
On April 18, Jujube Sanctuary is hosting a spring party for BIPOC farmers.
And if you’re not a gardener or a farmer but you want to be casually involved, BridgeDetroit has a list of Detroit farms to volunteer at.
Dig In,
JB
- Detroit youth ages 10-18 have until April 14 to submit a cellphone video answering the question “What does food justice mean to me?” for the chance to win prizes and a trip to LA.
- The Boys & Girls Clubs of Southeastern Michigan is launching a culinary workforce development program for youth at its newly renovated Highland Park site.
- Miss Kim Ann Arbor is hosting Sam Fore, a Sri Lankan-American chef with “Sri Lanka meets the South dishes” for a food pop-up.
- The team behind Grey Ghost, Second Best, and Basan is opening a new fast-casual restaurant in Ferndale.
- Faygo has released a new flavor based on Superman ice cream.
- Due to tariffs, coffee in the U.S. is getting more expensive, while coffee theft is surging.
- Outlier Media has answers on what Detroiters need to know about bird flu.
- A national dining club is coming to Detroit, with the first event at upscale Mexican restaurant Vecino.
- The Land, Food, and Freedom Journal is accepting pitches for its spring issue and paying $350-$750.
- A new cafe with breakfast and lunch options is opening downtown in the former building of Detroit’s WWJ AM Radio station.
The weekly schedule of pop-ups, food events and more. Click on the calendar below created by Bekah Galang.
- Brooklyn Street Local is hiring a barista and server.
- King Koney is hiring.
- Fox Theatre is hiring a food runner.