Urban Bush Sistah: a diabetes diagnosis grew into three lots of garden
DETROIT. Nan'Chang Thompson-Springer turned three vacant lots on the west side into Urban Bush Sistah's Community & Market Garden. She started gardening in 2020 after a diabetes diagnosis; the project now runs a farm stand, workshops on growing food and herbal products, and a pollinator sanctuary.
The Detroit Black Farmer Land Fund helped her buy the property. Keep Growing Detroit and grants from the Natural Resources Conservation Service have supported the work, though recent federal grant cuts have pushed the garden toward donations, volunteer labor, and farmstand sales to stay open.
Friend Cheryl Bell is among the volunteers who keep it running.
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