Micro-orchard, urban gardens planned for metro Detroit

Two campaigns are launching in Detroit, both focused on community-owned agriculture and local accessibility to food.

Public orchard coming to Goldberg neighborhood

The first project is a community-owned micro-orchard in the Northwest Goldberg neighborhood called Antoinette’s Corner. The public orchard will activate four vacant lots in the neighborhood,  planting mature fruit-bearing trees, a sensory herb garden, a natural pollinator gardens, and raised garden beds with fruit-bearing bushes.

The space will feature a covered pavilion area with seating and a storage shed for shared tools. Led and maintained by a team of NW Goldberg neighborhood residents, this park will not only produce actual fruit for neighbors to enjoy, but also provide interactive, educational programming highlighting what can be done with real fruit.

“We are thrilled to be working with the MEDC and Patronicity on another project in the NW Goldberg neighborhood,” said Daniel Washington, executive director of NW Goldberg Cares. “Antoinette’s Corner will transform four vacant lots into a micro-orchard, home to fruit bearing bushes and trees, pickable produce and free community programming related to healthy eating and active lifestyles.

Building grassroots networks

“In light of recent reductions in federal support for low-income food access such as SNAP benefits, parks like these are going to be critical to build grassroots networks that increase community resilience.”

If the campaign reaches its crowdfunding goal of $40,000 by July 15, the project will win a matching grant from the MEDC.

The second Detroit project is the Charge Up Detroit Micro-Resilience Hub, which will create a series of urban gardens and connected pathways through neighborhoods in Southwest Detroit.

Southwest Detroit Environmental Vision and the North Toledo Block Club Detroit are leading the project, which puts residents in charge of neighborhood development while providing access to clean energy through solar panels.

Residents-designed gardens

This project is the anchor site of The Southwest Detroit Chargeway, a resident-designed, scattered-site network of gardens that beautifies the neighborhood, improves connectivity, increases access to resources, and solves needs around mobility and traffic violence.

“We are so excited to have the opportunity to raise funds to complete the Charge Up Detroit Community Garden,” said Raquel Garcia, executive director of SDEV.  “This project was conceived and designed by residents, and the site truly reflects what is needed in this neighborhood.

“We are eager to raise these funds so we can complete our first community garden, set a precedent, and continue building more gardens through the Chargeway Scattered Site Network in Southwest Detroit.”

If the campaign reaches its crowdfunding goal of $50,000 by June 29, the project will win a matching grant from the MEDC.

“These Detroit-based projects showcase local leaders rising up to meet the evolving needs of their communities,” said MEDC Regional Development Managing Director Paula Holtz. “We are pleased to provide resources for these efforts through our Public Spaces Community Places program.”