This Saturday, May 4: All Cedar Rock Gardens plant sales to support Backyard Growers

🌱 This Saturday, May 4th, Cedar Rock Gardens is donating all profits from plant sales to Backyard Growers! Our team will be there throughout the day (8am – 4pm), ready to answer veggie gardening questions and share stories of our impact in the community. Cedar Rock Gardens is such an amazing partner to us and supporter of our work – we can’t thank them enough for their generosity! All money raised on May 4th will go directly towards our programs in the community and Gloucester’s schools.

Visit Cedar Rock Gardens at 299 Concord Street in West Gloucester on May 4 to support Backyard Growers and pick up some beautiful plants for your garden. We’ll see you there!

Workshops: Plan Your Vegetable Garden with Backyard Growers

Workshop: How to Plan Your Vegetable Garden

Dates & Times: April 10, 10am-12pm & April 16, 5:30-7:30pm

Location: Backyard Growers HQ, 103R Maplewood Ave, Gloucester

Event Summary: Learn the Square-Foot Gardening Method in this vegetable gardening workshop with Backyard Growers. Backyard Growers will introduce attendees to this growing approach which maximizes small spaces and crop yields. The organization uses this method across school gardens, backyard gardens, and community gardens all over Gloucester. Learn to plan your vegetable garden according to what you like to eat, the space you have for growing, and the amount of time you have to spend tending to it, with time at this workshop to map out your individual garden alongside Backyard Growers and your neighbors.

Tickets: Free for Backyard Growers Program Participants. $15 general admission. Proceeds support Backyard Growers’ work empowering people to grow their own food. Backyard Growers is a 501(C)3 nonprofit organization.

Workshop: How to Grow Vegetables in Containers

Date & Time: Thursday, May 2, 2-3pm

Location: Backyard Growers HQ, 103R Maplewood Ave, Gloucester

Event Summary:  Container gardens are great when space or sunlight is limited or as a way to easily control the height and placement of your garden to eliminate bending over or to ease other mobility concerns. Join Backyard Growers to learn the nuances of container gardening so that you’re set up for a successful (and space-efficient) season. Attendees will receive free vegetable seeds and the option to purchase GrowBags from Backyard Growers to start or add to their vegetable garden.

Tickets: Free for Backyard Growers Program Participants. $15 general admission. Proceeds support Backyard Growers’ work empowering people to grow their own food. Backyard Growers is a 501(C)3 nonprofit organization.

FREE Vegetable Seeds from Backyard Growers

Stop by Burnham’s Field Community Garden (on the side closest to the basketball courts) for our second free vegetable seed giveaway of the year. We’ll have plenty of seeds available for people to sow directly into their gardens this spring, including peas, lettuces, spinach, beans, beets, radishes, and more. All are welcome.

Plus, meet Susan Wood, Backyard Growers’ new Community Programs Manager, who will be getting her hands dirty in community gardens, backyards, and container gardens all over Gloucester this growing season.

**RAIN LOCATION: Backyard Growers HQ at 103R Maplewood Ave, Gloucester, MA**

Questions? Reach us at community@backyardgrowers.org or 978-281-0470. 

Seed-Starting Workshop & Free Seed Giveaway

🌱🌿🍅 Join Backyard Growers for an ONLINE WORKSHOP and FREE SEED GIVEAWAY to jumpstart your growing season. We’ll be sharing tips and tricks, plus offering a live Q&A, on how to successfully start seeds indoors this winter, followed by a drop-in free seed giveaway at our offices at 103R Maplewood Ave in Gloucester.

Online Workshop: How to start seeds indoors
February 27, 6-7pm
FREE for Backyard Growers Program participants / $15 general admission

Free Seed Giveaway
February 29, 3:30-5:30pm
Backyard Growers HQ @ 103R Maplewood Ave, Gloucester
FREE vegetable seeds for all!

Grow your own food with Backyard Growers in 2024 đźŚż

🌿 APPLY NOW: Applications are now open for Backyard Growers’ 2024 Community Programs, with a mission to empower more Cape Ann residents to grow their own food and connect people to veggie gardening resources. Learn more & apply here: www.backyardgrowers.org/community-programs

Programs include:

🍅 Community Garden Program: Join one of six community gardens in Gloucester to connect with neighbors and grow your own food, including Burnham’s Field Community Garden and gardens in Gloucester Housing Authority and Caleb Group communities.

🥬 Backyard Garden Program: Backyard Growers builds raised garden beds for Gloucester residents each spring, enabling them to grow their own food at their homes. Your backyard could be next!

🥕 GrowBag Garden Program: Cape Ann residents receive a container garden (3 GrowBags) with resources to grow fresh food at home, without needing to install a garden bed. This is a great option for renters or people without traditional outdoor growing space.

All program participants receive access to growing space with nutrient-rich soil, gardening & cooking workshops, vegetable seeds & seedlings, and an optional gardening mentor.

Questions? Reach out to Backyard Growers at community@backyardgrowers.org or call 978-281-0480.

Celebrate the season with Backyard Growers

✨ Join a fun evening to craft your own festive garland from raw materials provided by Backyard Growers, including dehydrated citrus, popcorn, salted gingerbread, and more. Light refreshments will be provided.

đź’š Proceeds from this event support Backyard Growers’ mission to cultivate healthy, connected, resilient communities by empowering people to grow their own food. Come have some festive fun and support a great cause!

Public Survey: What vegetable gardening workshops and learning opportunities do you want Backyard Growers to provide in 2024?

Each year, Backyard Growers provides programming to teach Cape Ann residents vegetable gardening, cooking, and food preservation skills, in addition to creating opportunities for neighbors to connect and learn from each other. 

We want YOU to tell us what workshops you’d be interested in for the 2024 growing season so we can create a community calendar for all.

Complete the survey here by Tuesday, October 10. Share your questions at community@backyardgrowers.org or 978-281-0480.

You’re invited to The Great Gloucester GrowDown!

Join us for Backyard Growers‘ annual fall fundraiser, The Great Gloucester GrowDown. At this year’s GrowDown, Backyard Growers will share stories from our community’s 2023 growing season and toast the power of growing food together.

Enjoy a delicious farm-to-table dinner with ingredients sourced from local North Shore farms and prepared by the magicians at Short & Main, plus signature seasonal cocktails. Contribute to a live fund-a-need auction to support our work empowering people to grow their own food, and connect with your community over the joy of supporting each other and growing food together!

Tickets are selling out fast! Proceeds support Backyard Growers’ work building healthy, connected, resilient communities by empowering people to grow their own food in Gloucester and beyond.

We’re hiring – come grow with us!

Backyard Growers is on the hunt for a School Garden Program Manager & Educator to lead and implement our seed-to-fork school garden programs in Gloucester Public Schools, pre-K through grade 12, and beyond.

This is a key role on our programs team – join us and have a direct impact on how kids engage with the food they eat (and grow!) in our community.

Backyard Growers is a Gloucester-based 501(C)3 nonprofit organization with a commitment to cultivating healthy, connected, resilient communities by empowering people to grow their own food.

Virtual Workshop: How to Eat Your Weeds

A beginner’s guide to foraging the weeds from your vegetable garden

Learn the fundamentals of foraging local plants including dandelions, purslane, and lamb’s quarter, so you can “eat your weeds.”

In this workshop, Backyard Growers offers a new perspective on common plants that pop up in your raised garden beds. By the end of this workshop not only will you have the fundamental tools to forage these local plants, but you’ll also attain a deeper appreciation for how these plants came to be and their place in our diets, too.

Learn more & reserve your spot