Victory Garden Initiative

Last week was a busy one!

On Monday, we hosted Michael Fields Agricultural Institute MKE Urban Ag Network (MUAN) and Wisconsin Agriculture - Extension at the VGI urban farm for a lesson on Agroforestry and Soil Health. Attendees learned about soil testing, cover crops, how trees aid our urban farm ecosystem, and even got to go through the steps of planting a tree thanks to Nolan and Mason! 🌳

On Wednesday we were joined by Chef Arty of Arty’s Sweet Talk Cupcakes to walk community members through preparing a meal using some fresh ingredients from the farm. Throughout the class we shared stories of nostalgic meals from our youth, what food access looks like to our community, how we can better take care of our health, and what the future looks like. 🥘

Have you been through the farm lately? We’re so grateful for our harvests despite the dry stretches we’ve had. Our herb garden is thriving, so come harvest yourself some basil, parsley, feverfew, and more! Make sure to keep an eye on those juicy tomatoes as they start to blush and redden over the next weeks. 🍅 Do you have garden harvest photos? Tag us in them or share them with us so we can share all the wonderful growing happening around the city! 📸

We’ve been having such a fun summer out on the farm with our volunteers and visitors!🌞 Want to get your group of friends or colleagues out for a workday? Head over to our website and submit an interest form so we can reach out to you🪏

We wrapped up our 17th Annual Great Milwaukee Garden Blitz just over a month ago and we have some BIG thank you’s to give to our sponsors, volunteers, garden recipients, and supporters! Let’s take a look at some of the numbers from this year:

🫜 roughly 250 volunteers served
🫜 300+ raised garden beds built
🫜 139 cubic yards of soil delivered for revitalizing

We could not have done this without the generous sponsors who help us continue bringing this event to you every year! Since 2009, we have built 7,800 raised garden beds across Milwaukee. What makes the Blitz so unique is the continued participation from our community every year, whether that’s volunteers who have returned for nearly every Blitz, or folks jumping out of their comfort zone to pitch in✨ MILWAUKEE SHOWS UP!❤️

Join us in celebrating the Harambee community and the work of VGI and Sauce MKE over the years on Sunday, June 28th from 12pm-5pm we’ll have free food, entertainment, games, bike repairs, haircuts, and more!!

Join us on Wednesday, June 17th and Saturday, June 20th from 10am-1pm for a workday on our Urban Farm! Help with getting transplants in the ground, weeding and watering, and finishing up some much needed projects. Find the link to sign up for June volunteering here: https://linktr.ee/VictoryGardenInitiative

Our annual Block Party is coming up soon! We are so excited to be hosting it with Sauce Milwaukee on Sunday, June 28th. Join us for some delicious food, dancing, music, and giveaways! Let's get this summer started with some joy and good eats⛱️🍓

BLITZ EXTENDED - VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0449A8A62AA5FCC70-64040589-blitz
We've been working hard alongside volunteers to install raised garden beds for members of our community, and we could really use your help to finish out strong. Sign up to join in on the largest garden building event in the country! Make a difference and have fun while doing it.

JOIN US! We need folks to help us build raised garden beds across Milwaukee. Share your passion and commitment with your community and help get more food growing🫛

Many thanks to CASE Construction Equipment for their continued support of our Milwaukee Victory Garden Blitz! They keep the good work going, just like all of you 🧡

https://victorygardeninitiative.org/blitzvolunteerregistration

Let's get this Blitz started👏🎉 Ordering has BEEN EXTENDED until 4/19 - get your raised bed NOW! None of this would be possible without the incredible volunteers who show up each year 💞 We need YOU to make this happen! Sign up now and help build garden beds, shovel soil and change lives through the power of home-grown food!🥦🍓🥒

Organizational Volunteers: https://victorygardeninitiative.org/blitz-orgcorporate-volunteers

Individual Volunteers: https://victorygardeninitiative.org/blitzvolunteerregistration

Purchasing a Raised Bed:
https://victorygardeninitiative.org/blitz-garden-registration

Have you ordered your Victory Garden Blitz bed? If not, ACT FAST! We are closing ordering for the 2026 Great Milwaukee Victory Garden Blitz this Wednesday, April 15th at 5PM, while supplies lasts. Order yours now: https://victorygardeninitiative.org/blitz-garden-registration

Sign up to volunteer! We need YOU to make this event a success. It takes nearly 300 volunteers to deliver and assemble raised garden beds at resident homes, schools, places of worship, and community gathering spaces. It is an event filled with fun and new connections, we promise😉 Gather your favorite group of friends, family, or coworkers and choose a date to volunteer: https://victorygardeninitiative.org/blitzvolunteerregistration