Spring Plant Sale!

Cultivating Community has been gearing up for our upcoming plant sale since February, lovingly planting and transplanting all kinds of vegetables and herbs to sell to community members. This year’s selection includes 15 types of heirloom tomatoes, sweet and spicy peppers, and a variety of scented geraniums to keep your porch, garden, or kitchen smelling fresh. A full list of plants can be found here. There’s bound to be something you’ll love… including purple basil!  

Come check it out if you’re free! We’d love to see you! All the proceeds from this event help support Cultivating Community, so tell your vegetable-loving friends, family, and neighbors to stop by as well.

Where: Matthaei Botanical Gardens

When: Saturday and Sunday, May 19 & 20, 10am-4:30pm

What: Plant Sale Fundraiser! Other events happening at Matthaei that day include a Water-Wise Plant Sale, Peonies Galore Sale, and Annual Herbfest. Come say hi and wander by other events while you’re here! 

Last year's Plant Sale

Red Rubin Basil 

See you there!

Hoophouses, plant sale, and kale, oh my!

We have been busy this winter and spring getting ready for the plant sale and hanging out in the hoophouse!

Check out some photos from our activities and events....

Hoophouse fun:

Planting spinach in the hoophouse

We covered rain barrels full of water with black trash bags, to create heat reservoirs. These helped keep the hoophouse at a constant temperature.

Hoophouse lettuce and spinach, yum!

The hoophouse gets to breathe today in it's new summer form! Stay tuned for summer hoophouse plans...

Permaculture and GELT talk:

We collaborated with Ann Arbor permaculture expert Nate Ayers and the Green Economy Leadership Training program in Detroit to bring together University students interested in permaculture and sustainable communities in Detoit. The event was inspiring, we learned a lot, and a special thanks to The Brinery for catering! The Brinery is in Ann Arbor and makes delicious, local, fermented foods such as sauerkraut and kimchi.

Brandon Knight, one of the founders of GELT

Students awed and inspired by their new permaculture knowledge

For more information about Permaculture opportunities in Ann Arbor and the brand new U of M Permaculture design team, visit http://www.chiwarapermaculture.com/

For more info about the Green Economy Leadership Training in Detroit, visit their facebook page!

Cultivating Community at Earthfest:

Lauren telling a student about Cultivating Community at our booth on the diag

Plant Sale Preparations:

Happy seed starters: Sonali, Lindsay, Lauren, Allyson, and Tania

Ginsberg Garden:

Check out how green the garden is already!

In the fall, we planted Annual Ryegrass as a cover crop, and it has done its job! Covering the garden, controlling weeds, and conserving the soil. We also have clover growing as another cover crop, which adds nitrogen to the soil.

Get ready for another bountiful summer of fun and food and friends, and getting your hands dirty! We will be having our first workday of the summer this Friday, and many more throughout the summer. To get involved, please email us at mbgna.cc@umich.edu.