GROW With Us

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.

Grow Center

Our Goal

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.

Spring 2026 Grow Center

This spring, the GROW Center wrapped up with thirteen events held across the city. 602 people attended the GROW centers pop-ups and workshops in Spring of 2026. These included seven pop-ups, four compost workshops, and two rain barrel workshops.

Grow Center image 5

GROW Center Impact

Trees planted

Truckloads of mulch

Compost bins

Rain barrels

Packets of seeds

173

7

39

17

860

With Support From

A huge thank you to our pop-up and workshop hosts and facilitators.

Hosts and facilitators
  • TasteWise Kids
  • UMD Seagrant Extension
  • Baltimore Compost Collective
  • Parks and People Foundation
  • Bon Secours Urban Farm
  • Berea Neighborhood Association Inc.
  • Lakeland Elementary Middle School
  • Victorine Q. Adams Memorial Garden
  • InDiGO (Inward Discovery Grows Outdoors)
  • Baltimore Community Tool Bank
  • Filbert Street Garden
  • HARBEL Community Organization
  • Loyola University Govans Farmer’s Market
  • The Urban Oasis

Thanks to Our Partners

We would also like to thank our many partners who tabled at our pop-ups this spring and provided the resources and information that make our events successful.

These partners include TreeBaltimore, Camp Small, UMD’s Master Gardeners, the Baltimore Social-Environmental Collaborative, Audubon, Baltimore’s Office of Sustainability, BMORE Beautiful, the Department of Transportation, the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs, the Baltimore City Department of Housing and Community Development, DPW’s Office of Waste Diversion, DPW’s Liaisons, and DPW’s BMORE LOVE Volunteer Network.

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!

 

Grow Center Cargo Van

Past Grow Center Locations

Use the map to see where past Grow Center locations have been held across Baltimore City.

Photo showing Baltimore City Skyline

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