✨ A Greenhouse Isn't just a structure - It's a promise to grow together.
In 2025, Growing Gardens broke ground on our most ambitious community project yet - A network of strategically placed community greenhouses built to empower, organize, and educate.Â
EXPLORE THE JOURNEYCultivating Change One Step At a Time
Step 1Â
Notice a Need.
The idea grew slowly, then all at once. We realized a greenhouse could fill the missing puzzle piece in our work, offering space to grow more starts, teach more skills, and deepen seasonal education. Our vision was simple and bold: one large greenhouse as a central hub, and five smaller greenhouses placed across Portland as local distribution sites. A network rooted in sovereignty, relationship, and radical access.
Step 2
Find The Funding.
We took the dream and put it on paper. The USDA’s Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production grant felt like the perfect fit. We applied, holding our breath, knowing this could transform everything. In 2024, we got the news: yes. This would become the first greenhouse network of its kind in the United States, and the seed money had arrived. What was once an idea was now funded, and the foundation was set.
Step 3
Create a game plan.
At this point, the vision was clear, but the logistics were complicated! We brought on the incomparable Jordana Mendonça ValdĂ©s as our Greenhouse Project Manager and got to work. Because these greenhouses needed to be strategic, accessible, and rooted in community, we started scouting the best partners and locations right away. From calendars to site visits, supply orders to zoning, this phase took a whole lotta' creativity and coordination.Â
Step 4
Radical Partnership.
We knew from the start that we didn’t want to do this alone, but it was a dream come true when we partnered with Feed’em Freedom - a grassroots organization led by and for Black farmers. Their vision is bold, healing, and unapologetically radical. We chose to build our main greenhouse together at their new farm space in partnership with CROPS. This partnership isn’t just operational, it’s deeply aligned. Land justice is stronger when we grow together.
Step 5
The Right Team For The Job.
When it came time to build, we called in a crew we knew we could trust: Portland YouthBuilders. Their students brought tools, heart, and a powerful sense of purpose. They leveled the land, framed the structure, installed the glazing, and brought the greenhouse to life, all while gaining skills and confidence along the way. This wasn’t just a construction project. It was about youth leadership, belonging, and investing in the next generation of builders.
Step 6
Make It Happen.
This project took hundreds of hands. Volunteers joined us in the rain, the sun, and the mud, hauling soil, sealing wood, planting seeds, and cultivating meaningful change together. Every person who showed up left a little magic behind. In spring of 2025, we stood in front of a finished greenhouse network and felt the power of community. Our vision bloomed. The beds were full. And we’re just getting started.
Jordana Mendonça Valdés
Climate change is a reality, and it’s making growing food more unpredictable over the past few years. A greenhouse offers a bit of magic: it gives us some control over the elements and allows us to extend the growing season. The Greenhouse Project is our commitment to sharing this knowledge with our community, creating spaces to support climate resilience, and empowering people to grow their own food. Â
Â
Greenhouse Grand Opening
Want to experience this magic for yourself?
Join Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson and Feed'em Freedom Foundation for the grand opening of the Multnomah County CROPS!
Growing food in schools, backyards, and correctional facilities to cultivate healthy and equitable communities.
CONTACT USÂ
3114 SE 50th Ave,
Portland, OR 97206
(503) 284-8420
 Discover Our Stories
Listen to The Radical Root Podcast
