Cadillac Urban Gardens on Merritt

Cadillac Urban Gardens on Merritt Cadillac Urban Gardens is a Southwest Detroit community vegetable garden run by SW residents. The story began with GM shipping carts that came from Korea.

What once began as an empty parking lot filled with scrap metal, growing weeds, and empty vibes has now become a community urban garden in the rich and vibrant Southwest Detroit. This lot that is now teeming with life used to be a GM executive parking lot for the old Cadillac Plant on Clark Street. A GM Environmental Engineer and his team looked at these shipping containers, made of plastic and me

tal, and asked "what else can we do with these?" Their first idea was to make carts, and they invited Ideal to take a look. We saw an opportunity to instead repurpose them into raised vegetable beds and the empty lot on McKinstry and Merritt into an urban garden. Rush Trucking aided in the effort and delivered 250 of these shipping containers to the Clark Street Headquarters to be painted. Ideal Contracting, Ideal Shield and Ideal Setech secured planting supplies, gardening tools, gloves, water supplies, etc. The Scarcyny Park community initiative cleared the rubbish and litter from adjacent streets. Cadillac Urban Gardens on Merritt was launched on May 19, 2012 and has since collected up to 1500 hours of youth service (and counting)! Our partners include Southwest Detroit Environmental Vision, Congress of Communities, Detroit Hispanic Development Corporation, LA SED, Latino Family Services, GM, Rush Trucking, Detroit Dirt, Detroit Cristo Rey High School, Gonzalez, Ideal Group employees, and Southwest Detroit neighborhood residents. If you would like to become more involved in this collaborative project, please contact us by sending a message or writing on our wall. We are always looking to engage more partners and invite others to share in the wealth of the Garden.

🌱✨ Our first-ever Merritt Market is almost here! ✨🌱Join us this Saturday, June 27 from 10 AM–2 PM for a day of community...
06/25/2026

🌱✨ Our first-ever Merritt Market is almost here! ✨🌱

Join us this Saturday, June 27 from 10 AM–2 PM for a day of community, local shopping, and fresh food at Cadillac Urban Gardens!

Come explore our beautiful garden, connect with local organizations, and support amazing small businesses and artisans from our community. Plus, every visitor can receive a FREE bag of fresh produce from our farm!🥬🍅

Whether you’re looking for unique handmade goods, local resources, fresh produce, or just a fun way to spend your Saturday, there’s something for everyone at Merritt Market.

Bring your friends, family, and neighbors and help us kick off this exciting new community tradition. We can’t wait to see you there! 💚

📍 Cadillac Urban Gardens 4601 Merritt St
🗓 Saturday, June 27
⏰ 10 AM–2 PM

Join CUG tomorrow for our rescheduled pickling workshop from 5:30-6:30 at CUG. Learn how to pickle radish and build comm...
06/23/2026

Join CUG tomorrow for our rescheduled pickling workshop from 5:30-6:30 at CUG. Learn how to pickle radish and build community with your fellow neighbors. This is a free event. Please bring your own jars! CUG has a limited supply that can be given out. In case of light rain the workshop will be moved to the greenhouse on site. See you all tomorrow!

🌱✨ Meet the team behind CUG! ✨🌱Say hello to Willow 👋🏻Willow is our University of Michigan Urban Agriculture Intern this ...
06/18/2026

🌱✨ Meet the team behind CUG! ✨🌱

Say hello to Willow 👋🏻

Willow is our University of Michigan Urban Agriculture Intern this summer, serving as a Farm & Volunteer Coordinator and supporting our growing operations and Nourish Detroit program. 🌿🍅

Currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Environment and Sustainability, Willow is passionate about agriculture, food systems, and understanding how people connect with plants. This summer, they’ll be helping coordinate volunteers, support garden operations, and increase access to fresh produce in Southwest Detroit. 💚

Fun facts about Willow:
🎻 Plays the violin
🧺 Loves basket weaving
🥾 Enjoys hiking and birdwatching
🎮 Fan of board games and video games

We’re excited to have Willow on the team this summer—be sure to say hi to them when you’re in the garden! 🌻

Due to inclement weather we will be postponing our workshop today to a later date we truly appreciate our communities un...
06/17/2026

Due to inclement weather we will be postponing our workshop today to a later date we truly appreciate our communities understanding! We will update next week on its new rescheduled date and time! 💚⛈️

🌱 Join Cadillac Urban Gardens Board of Directors🌱Are you passionate about food justice, community development, youth emp...
06/17/2026

🌱 Join Cadillac Urban Gardens Board of Directors🌱

Are you passionate about food justice, community development, youth empowerment, sustainability, or nonprofit leadership? We are currently seeking dedicated individuals to join our Board of Directors and help shape the future of Cadillac Urban Gardens.

As a board member, you’ll have the opportunity to support our mission, share your expertise, and make a meaningful impact in Southwest Detroit and beyond. Whether your skills are in fundraising, finance, marketing, public health, law, sustainability, community organizing, strategic planning, or another area, we encourage you to apply.

We especially encourage Southwest Detroit residents, community members, and individuals with lived experience connected to our mission to apply.

📅 Applications close June 22, 2026
📍 Volunteer Position

If you care about food justice and believe your skills can help strengthen our organization, we’d love to hear from you.

Apply today and help us grow a healthier, more equitable future for our community.

🌸🌼 Save the Date for Our 4th Annual Floral Fiesta Fundraiser! 🌼🌸Friday, August 7th | 5–9 PM at Cadillac Urban GardensWe’...
06/15/2026

🌸🌼 Save the Date for Our 4th Annual Floral Fiesta Fundraiser! 🌼🌸
Friday, August 7th | 5–9 PM at Cadillac Urban Gardens

We’re budding with excitement to invite you to a night that’s sure to blossom with joy! Come celebrate community, culture, and our shared roots in Southwest Detroit at our 4th Annual Floral Fiesta—a vibrant evening full of food, fun, and community.🌺

The Floral Fiesta is our way of honoring the incredible individuals who’ve helped shape local food systems here at Cadillac Urban Gardens and throughout SW Detroit. Let’s give them their flowers (literally and figuratively)!

What’s in bloom this year?

🎵Live music & entertainment
🍅 Delicious dishes from pop-up chefs
🏆Raffles, our Garden Market, and awards
🍺 One free drinks & food included with every ticket!

🎟️ Ticket Prices:

$10 for Detroit residents or $15 day of
$25 for non-Detroit residents or $30 day of

All proceeds plant seeds for the future by supporting our mission to provide free, culturally relevant produce for Detroit communities.

💖 Can’t attend but still want to support? Consider being a sponsor or sponsor a ticket for two Detroit residents to attend and experience the celebration!

🌿 Mark your calendars, grab your friends, and come grow the party with us!
We can’t wait to see you on August 7th from 5–9 PM!

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/cadillac-urban-gardens-4th-annual-floral-fiesta-fundraiser-tickets-1990658727842

Let’s get pickling this week 🥒Join our staff for weekly Wednesday community nights where we will be demoing how to pickl...
06/14/2026

Let’s get pickling this week 🥒

Join our staff for weekly Wednesday community nights where we will be demoing how to pickle daikon radishes!

Daikons and supplies provided for the demo. Learn how to pickle, build community, and take home a tastey treat. 🤍

Thanks to our amazing friends at for helping lead this workshop. We’ll see you all Wednesday evening post our drop in volunteer hours!

🌱✨ Meet the Staff! ✨🌱Say hello to Vincenté Perales 👏🏽Vincenté is a student at Wayne State University studying Urban Stud...
06/11/2026

🌱✨ Meet the Staff! ✨🌱

Say hello to Vincenté Perales 👏🏽

Vincenté is a student at Wayne State University studying Urban Studies & Planning and Urban Sustainability, and is joining us this summer as a Research Intern! 📚🌿

Working alongside our Yale Environmental Fellow, Alexys, Vincenté is supporting research focused on food insecurity and food access in Southwest Detroit. Together, they’ll be helping us better understand the challenges and opportunities within our local food system and how we can continue building a healthier, more equitable community. 🍅🥕🌻

Vincenté is no stranger to Cadillac Urban Gardens! 💚 They have been part of the CUG family since 2014, first joining the garden as an 8-year-old volunteer. Over the years, they’ve grown up with our programs, volunteered countless hours, and participated in internships that helped shape their passion for community development, sustainability, and food justice.

When they’re not studying or conducting research, you can find Vincenté:
🛹 Skateboarding
🎮 Playing video games
🌱 Spending time in the garden and community

We’re excited to have Vincenté back with us this summer and can’t wait to see the impact they’ll continue making at CUG! 💚🌻

🌻✨Introducing Merritt Market!✨🌻Cadillac Urban Gardens is excited to launch our very first Merritt Market a community mar...
06/08/2026

🌻✨Introducing Merritt Market!✨🌻

Cadillac Urban Gardens is excited to launch our very first Merritt Market a community marketplace created to support local entrepreneurs, artists, growers, food vendors, and small businesses while bringing neighbors together in Southwest Detroit!

📍 4601 Merritt St., Detroit, MI 48209
🕙 10 AM – 2 PM

🗓️ Market Dates:
• June 27th
• July 25th
• August 29th

Come shop local and enjoy:
☕ Coffee & Tea
🥖 Baked Goods
💍 Jewelry & Handmade Goods
🕯️ Candles & Scents
🪴 Plants & Garden Products
🥬 Fresh Produce
🍴 Food Vendors
🤝 Community Resources

🌱 NOW ACCEPTING VENDORS!🌱

Are you a maker, baker, artist, grower, food vendor, community organization, or small business looking to connect with the community and sell your goods? We’d love for you to be part of Merritt Market this season!

📩 Fill out our vendor form or email [email protected] to learn more.

Help us make this first season a success by sharing this post, tagging local vendors, and inviting your friends and family. Together, we’re creating a space to celebrate community, culture, and local entrepreneurship in Southwest Detroit. 💚

Address

4601 Merritt Street
Detroit, MI
48209

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm
Saturday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

313.842.1961

Website

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