Urban Growers Collective

06/06/2026

Pure magic. It was an absolute milestone as friends, board members, and our amazing community brought the energy for the soft rehearsal of Symphony of the Soil!

is activating this series of Garden Gatherings in partnership with the incredible at the brand new Eleanor Roosevelt Fruit & Vegetable Garden!

It is a total dream to see this vision finally take root.

Such a perfect way to connect neighbors with local growers and push the "grow local" movement forward.

Mark your calendars (all events run from 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM CT):

🪱 July 12 | Rooting Down for Resilience: Soil health, worm composting & microgreens.

🐝 July 26 | The Pollinator Groove: Native Bee Hotels, bouquet design & local honey.

☀️ August 9 | Sun-Drenched Harmonies: Sun tea, herbal scent rollers & oral histories.

🥒 August 23 | The Preservation Waltz: Hands-on pickling, fermentation & food security.

Every workshop includes an inclusive “Let’s Move Session” welcoming all mobility and sensory abilities, with live sets.

We can’t wait to see you in the garden! Beautifully maintained and tended by our friends

TICKETS: Admission is FREE, but space is limited and you must pre-register for a digital ticket to enter! Hit the link in our bio to reserve your spot on the Obama Foundation website!

05/28/2026

Skip the big box store lines and buy your seedlings grown right here in your backyard!

Urban Growers Collective’s Seasonal Plant Sale at Z Farm is OPEN! Hours are Saturdays and Sundays from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm.
We have heirloom tomatoes, kitchen herbs, and favorite flowers perfectly acclimated to our local climate. Check out the full plant list n Bio!

Come support your local farm and get your garden flourishing.

Located at 1001 Glenwood Dyer Rd, Chicago Heights, IL 60411.

05/27/2026

On June 13th, we’re kicking off our first Budding Growers of the season 🌻 If you’ve been looking for a way to have your kids involved on the farm, join us every second Saturday of the month at 10 AM at our South Chicago farm. The hour-long programming will start with a story-time before we explore what we read about!

For our first session, we’re reading The Soil In Jackie’s Garden by Peggy Thomas before we take our own look into what’s going on in the soil at our farm 🪱

Our reading and activity is tailored to early elementary students, but all are welcome!

05/17/2026

05/16/2026

"We don’t just tend to the soil; we tend to the soul of the community."
Anonymous 🌞💜

A beautiful, bustling day at South Chicago Farm!

Today, the farm was alive with the energy of three Cohort Constellations of Apprentice Herbalists, led by the incredible Rev. Kim Crutcher, LCPC. There is something so powerful about learning the language of plants right where they grow.

Our Youth Corp stayed busy prepping the plant dye garden and nurturing our latest seedling, seeing their hard work take root is the highlight of our week.

A heartfelt shoutout to the volunteers who showed up and dove into the compost and mulch with us, tending to our robust strawberry patch and supporting plantings through out the 7-acres. Your hands make our mission-driven work possible.

From seed to harvest, we’re growing something special together, sign up for a volunteer session with your crew.

05/15/2026

It’s one thing to visit a neighborhood; it’s another to see it through the lens of Radical Imagination.

I was featured as a panelist for the E. Casey Foundation (AECF) Fellows Annual Gathering 2026 held at the awe inspiring Aspire Center!

I am beyond elated after a powerful and inspired session this afternoon with the Casey Fellows alongside my esteemed panelists in change, Ayesha Jaco MAM West Side United and Mjenzi Nation Builders Vanessa Stokes and Darnell Shields Shields - moderated by Enid Rey

05/08/2026

If you have been looking to learn more about herbalism, join us on May 23rd, from 2:30-4:30 PM, at the South Chicago farm to kick off our first herb walk of the season. This six part series offers an opportunity for the community to come together, share insights and inspiration, and witness our unique relational approach to understanding both wild and cultivated herbs.  

This year’s theme is Prophets over Profit! Our ‘prophet’ for the month of May is George Washington Carver, and we’ll be starting with an exploration of almanacs as a tool of divination.

Sign up using the link in our bio! We can’t wait to see you there 🌿

05/07/2026

Interested in joining our Summer 2026 Youth Corps? Applications for Summer Program are LIVE!

Urban Growers Collective’s Youth Corps offers hands-on job training, leadership development, and food justice education for young people in Chicago. Our Summer session is a great opportunity to build skills, earn a stipend, and make a difference in your community through urban farming and environmental work.

If you’re a young person interested in growing food, in learning more about farming, nutrition, science, culinary, and food justice, we’d love to hear from you!

Fill out an application today on website and we will follow up with an invitation to our interviews this month!

Program Locations:

The South Chicago Farm (9001 S. Mackinaw Ave., Chicago, IL 60617)
Roosevelt Square Farm (1421 W Washburne Ave., Chicago, IL 60608)
“Art on the Farm” Grant Park (119 E. Congress Pkwy., Chicago, IL 60604)

Schedule:

Monday, June 22nd - Thursday, August 6th
Internship Program (ages 16+): Monday - Thursdays, 8:30am-12:45pm
Apprenticeship Program (ages 14-15): Monday - Thursdays, 12:45-5pm

Pay:

Internship Program (ages 16+): $17.05/hr; before taxes
Apprenticeship Program (ages 14-15): maximum stipend of $480

Questions or concerns? Email us at [email protected]!

04/23/2026

Happy Earth Day, today and every day, from UGC.

We are so grateful to our community and partners for supporting our mission and finding new ways to grow, heal, and inspire.

Today UGC’s Education Team visited
La Rabida Children’s Hospital for a tabling fair highlighting our work and engaging with staff, patients and community members. Learners of all ages scored big with games awarding packets of seeds saved from our farms, they learned about plant families and their seeds, and found out ways they can support native pollinators.

Come see us this weekend for even more Earth Month festivities! Sign up in bio.

See you at the farm!

04/21/2026

Don’t let tomorrow be your only time giving back to the land 🌎 Join us for our volunteering opportunities throughout the year! Starting this Saturday, we’re welcoming you to join us for our standing one o’clock tour and volunteer slot at our South Chicago farm. Come for a tour and stay to get your hands in the soil!

See more details about our different opportunities and sign up using the link in our bio. We can’t wait to see you there! ✨🌷