Growing Power

It’s amazing how inspiring a little bit of dirt can be in the middle of February. At least that’s how I felt as we embarked upon a tour of Milwaukee’s Growing Power last weekend. Never mind the piles of snow left from last week’s blizzard.  There’s just something about the smell of earth… and growth… and the flavor of freshly plucked micro-greens that really pulls me out of my winter doldrums. If you haven’t taken a tour of Growing Power, I’d encourage you to plan a visit.  On our tour, we were given a first-hand look into the way urban farming works.

Photo by Nicole Adrian

First, we were given lessons in composting
and vermicomposting.  We felt the smooth,
loose potting soil comprised of worm castings and coir – a sustainable peat
moss substitute made of coconut fibers, which help the soil to retain
moisture.  And we watched as the
hard-working red wriggler worms produced a mere fraction of the 6 million tons
of compost produced every year at Growing Power.

As we walked and listened to
our tour guide, we nibbled on tasty fresh greens – sunflower sprouts, pea
shoots, mustard greens, and arugula.  We
watched as the tilapia and yellow perch (both raised in greenhouses, thanks to
the wonders of aquaponics) leapt up from the water to retrieve nourishing feed
from the hands of our guide.  And we all
stood, enamored, as we learned about the mission and scope of an organization
that has changed the look of the urban landscape in Milwaukee and beyond.

Growing Power was founded on the belief that everyone,
regardless of socio-economic status, should have access to healthy, safe, high
quality food products. On just two acres, Will Allen has created an immensely
productive sustainable urban farm which includes six greenhouses, an apiary,
outdoor pens for livestock (including goats, rabbits, and turkeys), a chicken
coop, space for aquaponic production of tilapia and yellow perch, and a small
retail space.   Growing Power also supports multiple farm
sites located in Wisconsin and Illinois, which supply food for their Market
Basket CSA program, The Rainbow Farmer’s Cooperative, and restaurants and
farmer’s markets in both Milwaukee and Chicago.

In addition to its efforts in food production, Growing Power
expends additional energy on educational programming.  Through hands-on workshops and community projects,
Growing Power offers schools, farmers, activists, and
community members opportunities to learn from and participate in the
development and operation of community food systems.  Through its Youth Corps program, GP also
provides year-round gardening activities for neighborhood children, as well as
service-learning experiences for teens. 
They also play an active role in supporting food policy initiatives that
support food security and social justice.

Even if you’ve taken the tour of Growing Power before, I’d
encourage you to escape from the winter weather and make a trip back to see the
changes that are taking place at the farm. 
Growing Power recently expanded their “vertical” production to include
the cultivation of shiitake and oyster mushrooms. They’ve recently installed
new solar panels that assist them in heating rain-water to feed into their
re-circulating aquaponics sytem. Future expansion plans include the addition of
a five-story farming complex on additional acreage to the west of their current
Milwaukee space.

Of course, if you’re feeling particularly inspired, you
could always sign up to be a Growing
Power volunteer. As a volunteer, you’ll help your community, learn tons
about growing food, and make the world just a little bit better.  I can’t think of a better reason to get your
hands a little dirty. Especially while you’re waiting for the spring thaw to
set in.

Growing Power

Milwaukee National Headquarters and Urban
Farm:  

5500 W. Silver Spring Drive, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
53218

Tel. 414.527.1546 l Fax 414.527.1908

Email: staff@growingpower.org

Web: www.growingpower.org

Growing
Power Tours

More about Growing Power:

Milwaukee Magazine article: “Green Giant”