Backyard Growers Program

09/01/2026

😎 We're so ready to welcome Gloucester kiddos back into their school veggie gardens this month! Here's a sneak peak at just a handful of the seventy five garden beds maintained by Backyard Growers in 100% of Gloucester Public Schools and Pathways for Children.

Soon, they'll be brimming with even more life and excitement as we get Fall Harvest Days and other fall garden programming underway.

See you in the garden!

08/27/2026

Have you purchased your tickets to The 11th annual GrowDown yet? Grab em here: https://bit.ly/11thAnnualGrowDown

Don't miss Backyard Growers' biggest fundraiser of the year & a vibrant, delicious party celebrating another successful growing season in our community. This event features:

🥕 farm-fresh apps, dinner & drinks prepared overlooking Gloucester Harbor by our friends at Oak to Ember
🍅 Live music by Somer & Joe
🥬 A live fund-a-need auction to support Backyard Growers' veggie gardens in 100% of Gloucester Public Schools, six community gardens, the Backyard Growcery & more
😎 A meet-and-greet with Backyard Growers' new Executive Director, Julee Allen

See you there!

08/24/2026

💚 Our new Executive Director Julee had a blast welcoming incoming Gloucester kindergarten families last week at Countdown to Kindergarten!

🥕 Students will be entering their elementary school veggie gardens with Backyard Growers' Gardener Meg for the very first time this September, harvesting crops planted for them by last spring's fifth graders. And so begins a magical elementary school tradition of planting and harvesting every spring and fall through grade 5.

Haven't met Julee yet? Join us at our biggest fundraiser of the year, The 11th annual GrowDown! Learn more & purchase tickets: https://bit.ly/11thAnnualGrowDown

08/20/2026

As food recalls grow, shoppers are turning to the Backyard Growcery to shop with small-scale local farms to regain control and knowledge of where their produce comes from. Thanks to the Gloucester Daily Times for highlighting this demand for our Wednesday farmers market as a great source of high-quality, local food, with farms from our own community.

See you next Wednesday!

Concerns about cyclospora-tainted lettuce and jalapeno peppers linked to a salmonella outbreak, both sold across the country, has driven some consumers, including those on Cape Ann, from their favorite markets

08/14/2026

🌱 GARDEN SPOTLIGHT 🥬 The garden is the place to be at this home in downtown Gloucester! We loved checking in with this Backyard Garden Program Gardener at his raised bed, where he has been harvesting fresh produce every day. We chatted favorite cucumber varieties, squash pollination, and more.

Each spring, Backyard Growers provides eligible Gloucester residents with raised garden beds full of high-quality soil as well as veggie seeds and seedlings, right in their own backyard (or front yard or side yard!) Program Gardeners can also join us for free veggie gardening workshops throughout the growing season.

What's bountiful in your garden right now?

08/13/2026

🎉 MEET JULEE! 🌱 We are so thrilled to introduce our new Executive Director, Julee Allen. Julee joins Backyard Growers with extensive nonprofit leadership experience from the international development sector, following over two decades leading community-rooted programs at the intersection of food, health, and education.

Learn more about Julee: https://bit.ly/WelcomeJulee

She's already here getting her hands dirty with the team. Reach out and say hi at [email protected]!

08/11/2026

🥕 LESS THAN ONE MONTH TO GO until our biggest fundraiser of the year! 🎉 Join us for The 11th annual GrowDown, hosted with our friends at the delicious and magical Oak to Ember. Learn more & grab your tickets: https://bit.ly/11thAnnualGrowDown

Proceeds support Backyard Growers’ work cultivating healthy, connected, resilient communities by empowering people to grow their own food and building a stronger local food system.

Don't miss out on:
😋 farm-fresh, buffet-style dinner & drinks overlooking Gloucester Harbor
💚 a live fund-a-need auction
😎 a meet-and-greet with our growing team

See you there!

07/29/2026

💚 Thanks to all who joined us for Music on Meetinghouse Green last Friday, hosted by Gloucester Meetinghouse Foundation 🎉 It was such a special evening, featuring perfect weather, tunes & bites by the Headlands and the LobsterRoller, and extraordinary community generosity - together, you raised over $1,600 to support Backyard Growers' food equity programs in our community and beyond.

THANK YOU for partnering with us in this work.

Don't miss out on the rest of this weekly concert series which supports a different Cape Ann nonprofit every Friday night. See you on the Green!

07/28/2026

💚 VOICES FROM THE GARDEN 🥕 We love hearing from our program gardeners about the ways they are able to connect with their neighbors and fellow veggie gardeners over food. This email from a Burnham's Field Community Gardener made our day. We want to try these amaranth recipes too!

What's a great recipe you've received from a neighbor?

07/27/2026

🥕 JOIN OUR TEAM 🌱 We are on the hunt for a Development Manager to execute Backyard Growers' fundraising strategy. This role supports our mission cultivating healthy, connected, and resilient communities by empowering people to grow their own food. Through home, school, and community vegetable gardens, alongside a vibrant weekly farmers market, Backyard Growers expands access to fresh food and connection for families, seniors, and children across Cape Ann.

Learn more & apply: https://bit.ly/BYGDevManager