Baltimore GROW Center
The GROW Center, which stands for Green Resources & Outreach for Watersheds, is a program of the Baltimore City Department of Public Works (DPW) that functions as a resource hub and connector with the goal of building community capacity to implement greening, stormwater management, waste reduction, and beautification projects. Through neighborhood pop-ups and community-based workshops, the GROW Center increases access to needed sources of free materials, including mulch, trees, and seeds, as well as educational workshops on topics such as composting, planting trees, organizing neighborhood projects, community cleanups, and gardening.
The GROW Center program would not be able to function without our many partners. Thank you to the Chesapeake Bay Trust, who has provided funding for the GROW Center pop-ups and workshops, and to TreeBaltimore and Camp Small for providing the trees and mulch we give away. Other partners include MD Cooperative Extension/Master Gardeners, Office of Sustainability, Office of Emergency Management, BMORE Beautiful, Department of Housing and Community Development, and the many communities where we have held pop-ups and workshops.
SPRING 2025 GROW Center
DPW’s Spring GROW Center season will feature five pop-up events and six free workshops. Attend one of the upcoming activities and get some great resources to help with your greening projects. Free trees, mulch, seeds, and reusable shopping bags will be available, as well as information on stormwater fee credits, plant advice, recycling and composting, adopt-a-lot, and other ways to make your home and community greener, cleaner, and more resilient. First come, first serve while supplies last.
The following is the schedule for GROW Center events. Please note the times for each event. The workshops are FREE but require registration. In-person workshops have limited space availability. Compost workshop attendees will receive a compost bin, courtesy of DPW Bureau of Solid Waste.
March 29 (8am – 12 pm): Pop-up x SHRED Event at Furley Elementary School (5001 Sinclair Ln, 21206) City residents can bring up to two 32-gallon bags of paper documents to get shredded.
Accepting unwanted silverware for reuse! ! If you have extra forks, spoons, or butter knives you no longer need, bring them along to be donated for reuse. Please make sure all silverware is clean before dropping it off and note that we cannot accept sharp knives.
April 5 (9am – 12pm): Pop-up @ Leakin Park (1900 – 1998 Eagle Dr, 21207)
April 12 (9am – 12pm): Pop-up @ Oliver Community Farm (1325 Bond St, 21213)
April 16 (5:30pm – 6:30pm): Compost Workshop @ LRIA Memorial Community Garden Learn the basics of home composting, and receive a compost bin by registering for this in-person workshop Register HERE
April 22 (4 – 7pm): EARTH DAY Event & Pop-up @ The Urban Oasis (2131 N Dukeland St, 21216) In partnership with The Urban Oasis, stop by and enjoy live salsa music, cultural expositions and get some great resources to help you with your greening projects
April 24 (5:30 – 7pm): Forest Bathing Workshop @ Leakin Park Join us and tap into your senses and settle into the present moment while surrounded by nature. Participate in collective liberation through a nature immersive experience facilitated by TreeBaltimore's certified nature therapy guide. Register HERE
April 27 (9am – 12pm): Pop-up @ Pimlico Training Facility (Manhattan Ave and Clover Rd, 21215)
April 30 (5:30 – 7pm): Rain Barrel Workshop @ Baltimore Community ToolBank Build your own rain barrel for free! This hands-on GROW Center workshop will cover the benefits of harvested rainwater, the setup and steps to installing a successful rain barrel, and how to use the rainwater you harvest Register HERE
May 8 (5:30 – 6:30 pm): Vermicomposting Workshop @ Bmore Garden Space Learn the basics of vermicomposting, and receive a vermi-bin by registering for this in-person workshop Register HERE
May 20 (6 – 8pm): Pollinator Hotel Building Workshop @ Reservoir Hill Community Garden In this workshop, you will have the opportunity to make your own pollinator hotel and learn about the Coevolution of Flowers and Bees given by Baltimore City Master Gardener Michael Andorsky! Register HERE
June 5 (5:30 – 7pm): Compost Workshop @ Reservoir Hill Community Garden Learn the basics of home composting, and receive a compost bin by registering for this in-person workshop
Register HERE
Below are some photos from this past Fall 2024
Interested in what we have done so far? Check out the following report:
- Department of Public Works Impact Report Fall 2024
If you have questions please contact Medina Caplis Tara by email here or at 443-934-7132.
GROW Center Resources
We know that not everyone can attend a GROW Center pop-up or workshop, so we have put together the following resources to help you access local, low cost and/or free materials + knowledge to complement in-person pop-ups and workshops. They are organized under two questions, “Where do I get…? (materials) and “How do I…? (instructions, videos, information).
Please click on the Tabs Below to Learn More
Where Do I Get…?
- Trees
- Plants and Seeds
- Mulch and Compost
- Coffee Chaff
-
Call Zeke’s Coffee Roastery: 443-992-4388
-
- Reclaimed Building Materials
- Tools
How Do I...?
- Start a Home Garden
- Plant and Care for a Tree
- Start Composting
- Institute for Local Self Reliance
- How to Compost Video
- Build Your Own Compost Bin
- No space to compost on your property?:
- Build a Rain Barrel
- Design, Install, and Maintain a Rain Garden
- Get Help to Create a Community Space
- Adopt a Vacant Lot?
- Start a Community Garden or Urban Farm
- Get Water for My Community Garden
- Get My Community More Involved
- Get Funding
GROW Center New EV Cargo Van!
This Fall the GROW Center program unveiled its new van and logo! The van will allow DPW to better host pop-up events and workshops, giving the program more flexibility to serve communities throughout Baltimore. Plus, it is an EV van – part of the City’s efforts to have all of its fleet electric by 2030. Just another way that the GROW Center is helping Baltimore to be cleaner and greener!
A few photos from the GROW Center pop-ups and workshops!
