Do You Know About Downtown Grand Rapids’ New Community Garden?

My whole life, my mom has grown her own vegetables. There's just something special about cutting up and eating a pepper or tomato that you grew yourself. However, many of us live in apartment buildings or in the city and don't really have the land to grow our own garden, even if we wanted to.

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But Downtown Grand Rapids Inc. and the Downtown Neighbor Network heard the people's plea and decided to bring the health and enjoyment of gardening to the heart of Grand Rapids by opening a community garden that gives Downtown residents their own plots of land and by hosting free, public gardening workshops.

Spots are extremely limited, and all have been reserved for 2026. If you're interested in getting on the waitlist for the future, here is what to know. Priority is given to those in multi-unit buildings with no yard access.

Grand Rapids Downtown Community Garden

Located at 250 Seward Ave near the Las Canchas Futsal courts, the Downtown Community Garden officially opened in 2024 and has been a hit each year since, with all 55 plots quickly being reserved each summer.

These plots are fully irrigated, and all gardening supplies are fully covered by the Downtown Development Authority. 2026 will be its third summer.

READ MORE: Street Performers Wanted In Downtown Grand Rapids This Summer

If you have no gardening experience, worry not. The DGRI has partnered with Jade Rabbit to host gardening workshops that are open to the public, as are the summer farmers markets, where plot owners are invited to sell the crops they've grown themselves.

Again, the plots are all already reserved for 2026, but filling out the interest form can get you on the list for another summer.