Overview
DPW’s GROW Center (Green Resources & Outreach for Watersheds) program is your greening resource hub, linking city residents, communities, and faith-based groups to materials, information, and technical expertise for greening projects.
Since 2018, we have provided free and low-cost trees, mulch, and other materials at our community pop-up events, as well as free workshops on topics including composting, community greening, installing rain gardens and rain barrels, and environmental justice.
The goal of the GROW Center is to support Baltimore City residents so that they can make their neighborhoods greener, cleaner, and more beautiful through gardening, tree planting, managing rainwater, and reducing waste. Occurring mostly in the Spring and Fall, the GROW Center hosts “pop-up” events that function as resource hubs, as well as workshops to educate and engage residents on a variety of greening topics. These events provide hands-on learning opportunities and connect Baltimore City residents with tools, resources, and knowledge to support community improvement efforts.
This Spring’s GROW Center season will feature 6 pop-up events and 4 free compost workshops. Attend one of the upcoming activities and get some great resources. Free trees, mulch, seeds, and reusable shopping bags will be available, as well as information on stormwater fee credits, plant advice, recycling and composting, and other ways to make your home and community greener, cleaner, and more resilient. First come, first serve while supplies last.
Spring 2026 Schedule
The following is the Spring 2026 schedule for GROW Center events. Please note the times for each event. Pop-ups and workshops are FREE, but workshops require registration. Please note that workshops are available only to Baltimore City residents and have limited space. Compost workshop attendees will receive a compost bin, courtesy of DPW’s Office of Waste Diversion.
Saturday March 28 (8AM –12PM): Pop-up x Shred Event @ The Middle Branch Fitness & Wellness Center (201 Reedbird Ave, Baltimore, MD 21225). Note: City residents can bring up to two 32-gallon bags of paper documents to get shredded.
Thursday April 2 (5PM – 6:30PM): Compost Workshop @ Bon Secours Urban Farm (1800 W Fayette St, Baltimore, MD). Register for the workshop
Sunday April 12 (9AM – 12PM): Pop-up Event @ Pimlico Safety Training Center (Manhattan Ave. & Clover Rd)
Saturday April 18 (9AM – 12PM): Pop-up Event @ Lakeland Elementary School (2921 Stranden Rd, Baltimore, MD 21230)
Wednesday April 22 (4PM – 7PM): Pop-up Event @ The Urban Oasis (2131 N Dukeland St, Baltimore, MD 21216)
Tuesday April 28 (5:30 - 7PM): Compost Workshop @ Victorine Q. Adams Memorial Garden (1800 W Fayette St, Baltimore, MD). Register for the workshop
Saturday May 2 (12PM – 4PM): Pop-up @ Nature Everywhere Day (Columbus Pavilion, Druid Hill Park, Mansion House Dr, Baltimore, MD 21211)
Friday May 8 (6PM - 7:30PM): Vermicompost Workshop @ Filbert Street Garden (1800 W Fayette St, Baltimore, MD). Register for the workshop
Saturday May 16 (9AM-12PM): Pop-up @ Harbel Community Association (5807 Harford Rd, Baltimore, MD 21214)
Wednesday May 27 (3:00PM - 4:30PM): Compost Workshop @ Govans Farmers’ Market (5104 York Rd, Baltimore, MD 21212). Register for the workshop
GROW Center Resources
We know that not everyone can attend a GROW Center pop-up or workshop. To help you, we've put together a list of resources to help you access local, low cost and/or free materials + knowledge to complement in-person pop-ups and workshops.
Get the Resources
GROW Center New EV Cargo Van!
Recently, the GROW Center program unveiled its new van and logo! The van will allow DPW to better host pop-up events and workshops, giving the program more flexibility to serve communities throughout Baltimore. Plus, it is an EV van – part of the City’s efforts to have all of its fleet electric by 2030. Just another way that the GROW Center is helping Baltimore to be cleaner and greener!
Fall 2025 GROW Center
This past Fall, the GROW Center wrapped up with five pop-up events and six workshops held across the city. Workshop topics included home composting, rain barrel set-up and installation, and new this season, in collaboration with BMORE Beautiful, a garden winterization workshop and a monarch butterfly workshop. A huge THANK YOU to our pop-up and workshop hosts:
- Baltimore Compost Collective
- Baltimore Tree Trust
- Cylburn Arboretum Friends
- Conkling Street Garden
- Filbert Street Garden
- GreatWise Kids
- Hamilton-Lauraville Main Street
- Homeland Garden Club
- Johnston Square Farm & Garden
- Reservoir Hill Improvement Council
- Union Craft Brewing
- UMD Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners
- UMD Sea Grant Extension
We would also like to thank our many partners who table at our pop-ups: DPW’s Office of Waste Diversion, DPW’s Community Liaisons, DPW’s BMORE LOVE Volunteer Network, TreeBaltimore, Camp Small, Baltimore’s Office of Sustainability, BMORE Beautiful, the Department of Transportation, Civic Works, the Baltimore City Department of Housing & Community Development, and the Baltimore Social-Environmental Collaborative for providing the resources and information that made our events successful.
To highlight, 685 people attended the GROW centers pop-ups and workshops in Fall of 2025. The following resources were provided this GROW Center season:
- 146 trees were given away
- 5 truckloads of mulch were given away
- 24 compost bins were given away
- 30 rain barrels
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