Fall on a farm is a beautiful in-the-moment experience of being outdoors in the warmth of the gentle sunshine on a cool day, breathing in the crisp, fresh air surrounded by vibrant autumn foliage and a bounty of ripe produce. But alas, we city dwellers don’t often have access to the rural splendor. There is a place, however, in downtown Toledo that offers an opportunity to bring the farm into your life.
Urban greenery
The urban farmstead of Toledo GROWs, is the Toledo Botanical Gardens community garden outreach program with a mission and acronym: Gardens Revitalize Our World. On a three acre lot at 900 Oneida St. (adjacent to Cherry Street at the Greenbelt Parkway), the site features vegetable plots, chicken coops, bee hives, native plantings and a fruit orchard. Dedicated to Robert J. Anderson (one of the initiators at the forefront of the Toledo agriculture movement), the Agriculture Center is a hub for gardening and urban agriculture education. The programs and services provided support garden development in neighborhoods. These gardens help wipe out urban blight and foster a sense of community while promoting proper nutrition and environmental sustainability. Here are a few ways you can participate in Toledo GROWs activities.
Fall workshops
September is National Honey Month so come down to Toledo GROWs to “experience the honey extraction process from hive to jar.” The Maumee Valley Bee Keepers Association member and Toledo GROWs volunteer beekeeper, Horace House, will share fascinating facts about honey bees from their lives in the hives at Toledo GROWs, to their pollen collecting among the native plantings of the farmstead and how they make honey. A live demonstration of honey extraction will be featured with honey tastings.
10am-noon on Saturday, September 12. $5 donation/adult to support the hives (kids are free).
Jars of honey will be on sale for $7 and $14.
Also attend the free Garden Critter Control Workshop on Saturday, October 10 from 10am-noon.
Space is limited for both workshops so registration is required.
Volunteer
Feel the rich, dark soil between your fingers as you help harvest vegetables grown on the Toledo GROWs farmstead. Produce is sold at their onsite market stand to support their programs with excess harvest goods donated to local shelters. Stop by and purchase the herbicide/pesticide free produce year round every Thursday 11am-3pm. Volunteer from 9am-noon on Wednesdays or arrange a volunteer day and time for your group. Be a part of the unity in community by volunteering (one-day or long-term) in the community gardens.
419-720-8714 or email [email protected]
Fall on a farm is a beautiful in-the-moment experience of being outdoors in the warmth of the gentle sunshine on a cool day, breathing in the crisp, fresh air surrounded by vibrant autumn foliage and a bounty of ripe produce. But alas, we city dwellers don’t often have access to the rural splendor. There is a place, however, in downtown Toledo that offers an opportunity to bring the farm into your life.
Urban greenery
The urban farmstead of Toledo GROWs, is the Toledo Botanical Gardens community garden outreach program with a mission and acronym: Gardens Revitalize Our World. On a three acre lot at 900 Oneida St. (adjacent to Cherry Street at the Greenbelt Parkway), the site features vegetable plots, chicken coops, bee hives, native plantings and a fruit orchard. Dedicated to Robert J. Anderson (one of the initiators at the forefront of the Toledo agriculture movement), the Agriculture Center is a hub for gardening and urban agriculture education. The programs and services provided support garden development in neighborhoods. These gardens help wipe out urban blight and foster a sense of community while promoting proper nutrition and environmental sustainability. Here are a few ways you can participate in Toledo GROWs activities.
Fall workshops
September is National Honey Month so come down to Toledo GROWs to “experience the honey extraction process from hive to jar.” The Maumee Valley Bee Keepers Association member and Toledo GROWs volunteer beekeeper, Horace House, will share fascinating facts about honey bees from their lives in the hives at Toledo GROWs, to their pollen collecting among the native plantings of the farmstead and how they make honey. A live demonstration of honey extraction will be featured with honey tastings.
10am-noon on Saturday, September 12. $5 donation/adult to support the hives (kids are free).
Jars of honey will be on sale for $7 and $14.
Also attend the free Garden Critter Control Workshop on Saturday, October 10 from 10am-noon.
Space is limited for both workshops so registration is required.
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Volunteer
Feel the rich, dark soil between your fingers as you help harvest vegetables grown on the Toledo GROWs farmstead. Produce is sold at their onsite market stand to support their programs with excess harvest goods donated to local shelters. Stop by and purchase the herbicide/pesticide free produce year round every Thursday 11am-3pm. Volunteer from 9am-noon on Wednesdays or arrange a volunteer day and time for your group. Be a part of the unity in community by volunteering (one-day or long-term) in the community gardens.
419-720-8714 or email [email protected]