Sow Much To Do: Grand Places to Get Started Gardening in the Forks

Maybe you want to start a bee garden on your property to protect local pollinators, or maybe you want to learn to grow more of your own food to support your household with healthy, fresh produce. These or other reasons might grow your desire to get started gardening in Grand Forks. This blog post will help you get started!

All Seasons Garden Center is located in the south-end. A huge resource for yard fascinators, seeds, houseplants year-round and summer fruits, veggies, and flowers. I have many fond memories visiting Snickers, the greenhouse and shop kitty when we’re craving a warm and green day even in Grand Forks winter. The team puts together gardening resource guides to and because the greenhouse space is so large, when you walk up and down the aisles you can check out all the life stages of some of your favorite plants. My best springtime recommendation is that you absolutely CAN’T miss Music in Bloom, the annual Northern Valley Youth Orchestra fundraiser that takes place here. It’s the best day to look around at the plants and get a mental head start on gardening in Grand Forks. 

Vintage Greens Garden and Floral is located in north Grand Forks, right in the historic Near North Neighborhood and across the street from Skidmore Park. This garden and floral store has an awesome selection of local, hand-made goods in addition to fresh cut flowers and edible plants for sale. I highly recommend checking out their event highlights to see what special opportunities are coming up next, from cooking classes in the garden to craft nights. Maureen, the visionary behind this super cute local business that opened up just a few summers ago when she bought the house, painted it bright green, and added an accessible front entrance, regularly schedules fundraisers in support of local causes, and you won’t want to miss out. Gardening in Grand Forks doesn’t have to take place just at your house! In the front of the shop, there is a shared community garden space. 

Other local gardening centers include Tim Shea’s Nursery and Landscaping, plus all the usual big box stores: Menard’s, Lowe’s, Walmart, and more, where you can look for deals to help you get gardening in Grand Forks. For a final can’t-miss hidden gem, check with the Grand Forks County Soil Conservancy on the dates of their annual bare root tree sale (including fruit trees) or to get any number of rain barrels you may need to collect water for your home garden here in Grand Forks.

Getting started gardening in Grand Forks is easy when you connect with experienced gardeners in the community. NDSU Extension offers educational programming on home gardens, including resource webpages that explain the best cultivars for our unique local conditions as well as webinars covering fruits, lawns, veggies and herbs, soil health, and more. Other ways to connect with local master gardeners include the Grand Forks Horticulture Society which hosts monthly informational sessions as well as hands-on sessions throughout the summer in University Park at the Rock Garden. Get in touch with the club for details. There are a ton of other Grand Forks Park District volunteer planting events. In the spring and early summer, this might look like helping to plant sign beds in multiple parks throughout town, in the winter this might look like helping with Bloomfest. Eventually, you may even want to become a master gardner yourself, so you can help others get started gardening in Grand Forks.

Gardening in Grand Forks certainly CAN start with some local foraging. This is a great way to learn about what plants grow well here and how you can use them in your culinary adventures. To get started with foraging, definitely keep your eyes peeled for occasional plant walk educational sessions offered by the East Grand Forks Campbell Library so you can connect with others who are also interested in this approach to gardening in Grand Forks. 

Other resources to check out include both local and international map sources, like the Falling Fruit map which highlights harvestable plants for food, teas, and other uses, all across the world. Once you get comfortable using the map to look up locations of harvestable foods and other treats, you can start recording suggestions of your in the map to share with others. 

There is also a local Grand Forks Tree Plotter map, which can be helpful in growing your skills with tree identification. The map also shows carbon capture and AQI impact of local tree coverage. Don’t forget to use it to report necessary maintenance to any berm trees or if you need to request a replacement tree or a new tree to be planted by the Park District somewhere that you know could use more shade throughout the community. 

Finally, keep in mind that some public gardens have veggie, herb, and fruit plants that you’re welcome to harvest from. Always check the guidelines for each public park before you harvest, and make sure to leave some for others. But feel free to check with the Grand Forks Park District on available places to forage fresh, tasty produce from as you begin your quest to do more gardening in Grand Forks. Last season, they installed three productive veggie beds right next to the traditional indigenous medicinal and native plants garden in Skidmore Park. Commonly, other harvestables can be found in some ornamental beds downtown or at UND, so keep your eyes open and ask around!

There are many community garden sites throughout the community that allow you to rent a plot and try your hand at gardening if you don’t have a yard of your own. Here are some to check out:

• Community Gardens – Grand Forks Park District, where sometimes you’ll see non-profits rent a space that will be used for educational demonstrations to help the public learn all there is to know about gardening in Grand Forks. 
• Grand Forks Community Garden | City of Grand Forks, ND, where Grand Forks Public Health may be able to waive rental fees for households who use EBT or WIC benefits who want to try gardening in Grand Forks.
• Garden Plots – All Seasons Garden Center, which is located close by the shopping center hub of town. 
• Community Garden at the Grand Forks Air Base, which offers refunds on the maintenance deposit at the end of the season to any gardeners who maintain their garden throughout the growing season. 

Community Gardening in East Grand Forks, where multiple community organizations have come together to establish a shared space for community gardeners to grow together here in the Grand Cities.

Before I head out to plant my own garden, which is a teaching space for anyone who wants to drop by (check out our calendar for details), I’ll leave you with a few final recommendations to help you begin your gardening journey in the Grand Cities:

• Get gardening in Grand Forks with free mulch, compost, and more from the Grand Forks Park District! 

Check out all of the great seed libraries here in the community: Seed Library | East Grand Forks, MN, Chester Fritz Seed Library on UND’s campus, and sometimes at the Grand Forks Public Library, too.