Friends,
I’m thrilled to start the new year by sharing big news! After more than 18 months of careful planning and reflecting a shared commitment to maintaining a treasured resource for local urban agriculture, Grow Pittsburgh will be taking the reins at Garden Dreams Urban Farm & Nursery in Wilkinsburg. Garden Dreams has been a labor of love for owner Mindy Schwartz for the past two decades, and passing the reins is her way of making sure “the little farm that could” continues to thrive for many more. It is a huge honor to be entrusted with Garden Dreams and to continue the legacy that Mindy and her staff started.
Some of you may not know that Mindy, in addition to founding Garden Dreams, also co-founded Grow Pittsburgh. By donating her property to our partners at the Allegheny Land Trust, she has made an amazing gift that will preserve it as an agricultural asset for generations to come. The donation speaks to her long-standing belief in the benefits of urban food production (Read Mindy’s full farewell note here). 
The staff and leadership of Grow Pittsburgh have been working closely with Mindy and the staff of Garden Dreams over the past year and a half to ensure a smooth succession. If you’re familiar with the special oasis that is Garden Dreams, rest assured that you’ll continue to find the same amazing quality seedlings for your garden, as well as friendly knowledgeable staff on-site.
Garden Dreams now joins our other urban farms: Braddock Farms in Braddock and Shiloh Farm in North Point Breeze. And you can still find us at The Frick Pittsburgh, where seedlings will continue to be available for purchase.
We have big plans for the site, including building a new greenhouse space, launching a workshare program, expanding our youth and young farmer apprentice programs, offering community gathering space, and much more! Please stay tuned for all the exciting updates to come.
Also, please know that we want to hear from you. There will be many opportunities to get involved. We’ll be hosting an open house and other public events this spring so that you, along with Wilkinsburg neighbors, Garden Dreams customers, and our community of growers can share YOUR dreams for this vital community hub. More details will follow soon, including dates when seedlings will be available for sale this season.
For now, we just wanted to share the big news. We hope you are as excited as we are, because you are our community and YOU make all of our work possible.
Sincerely,
Jake Seltman