RUGN: The Racine Urban Garden Network

07/15/2026

07/07/2026

Our Owen Davies Garden will be on the tour this year!

Purchase your tickets today for exploring seven unique gardens and one special National Habitat Award winner during the Racine Garden Club's Summer Magic Garden Tour on Sunday, July 12. 🌸

Garden enthusiasts will have the opportunity to explore an urban wildlife retreat, an Oriental-themed space, a lush community garden tended by 33 gardeners, and more distinctive sites with features like shade gardens, ornamental trees, and tranquil designs.

This self-guided tour is held rain or shine throughout the Racine area. Proceeds go to horticultural scholarships.

Learn more: https://visitracinecounty.com/events/racine-garden-club-2026-summer-magic-garden-tour/

06/28/2026

Kids and adults alike enjoyed nature printing at the RUGN table at the 15th Annual Family Reunion Music Festival. We were impressed by their creativity!

06/23/2026

Our St. Paul Garden hosted a Community Event last Saturday with Restoration Ministries, Saint Paul Missionary Baptist Church, and the St. Paul Garden Apartments to celebrate the launch of an intergenerational program designed to partner the youth in Restoration Ministries STEM education program with the seniors at the St. Paul Garden Apartments to plant and cultivate food in the community garden. Thanks to the Eco-Justice Center for sponsoring three plots for the youth and elderly to garden in; to Starbuck International K-8 School for several Leopold benches for gardeners to sit in; and to the kids who designed and built a solar light to illuminate the garden. The youth group also built a healing garden on the property. County Supervisor Valena Coleman and City Councilman Malik Fraser helped cut the ribbon to the Healing Garden with members of the King family. St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church and Bishop Kirby gave the opening prayer and hosted a cookout for the kids on the grassy area adjacent to our garden. The church owns and managed the property for the garden, which was started in 2012 at the suggestion of Bishop Kirby. This is what our community gardens were meant to do - provide a place for people to gather and grow!

06/12/2026

Swing by the Racine Farmers Market at Festival Park this Saturday to see RUGN and the Racine Garden Club! We'll be the non-profit to have a table this week. You'll be able to learn more about gardening, sign up for a plot in one of our community gardens, pick up a ticket for the "Summer Magic" Garden Tour hosted by the Racine Garden Club on July 12 (our Owen Davies Community Garden will be featured on the tour this year), and see the lineup for the free music festival co-sponsored by RUGN and Family Power Music on Saturday, June 27 at Johnson Park. Our St. Paul Garden has been refurbished with handicapped accessible raised beds and is hosting a free community event, open house and cookout with Restoration Ministries on Saturday, June 20. Info on our upcoming free workshops will also be available - we're hosting a Summer Refreshers beverage workshop in August and a Food Preservation workshop in September at the Racine Public Library. We'll be in Space #29 on the North Wing.

06/05/2026

🌱 A Gift from the Next Generation of Community Leaders 🌱

The Racine Urban Garden Network would like to extend our sincere thanks to a group of 8th grade students from Starbuck International K-8 School for their generous donation of handcrafted benches.

As part of their IB Middle Years Programme (MYP) Community Project, these students identified a need within one of our community gardens and took action to help meet it. After learning that a recently renovated garden space lacked seating for volunteers and visitors, the students designed, built, and donated benches that will provide a welcoming place for gardeners and community members to rest, reflect, and enjoy the space.

We are incredibly grateful for their hard work, craftsmanship, and commitment to service. Their project demonstrates how young people can make meaningful contributions to their communities while developing the skills and values needed to create a better world.

Thank you, Starbuck students, for helping our gardens grow not only food, but also community.

06/03/2026

Our Butler Garden 🪏 just had a Planting Day!

Butler Garden Planting Day - Leon Planting the Garden