Guide to City’s Urban Gardens

Volunteers shovel soil into a raised bed garden installed by Victory Garden Initiative. (Photo by Jennifer Reinke)

Milwaukee offers many opportunities for residents to tend a garden during the summer growing season. Plots vary in size, neighborhood restrictions and growing periods. Residents wanting to raise a garden in a vacant lot can apply for permits as well.

Urban garden opportunities are listed below. If you are aware of a community garden that is not listed, please leave a comment.

Alice’s Garden features in-ground garden beds for neighborhood residents. (Photo by Sue Vliet)

Name: Alice’s Garden

Location: Corner of West Garfield Avenue and North 20th Street

Cost: $25

Description: Residents of the neighborhood have rental priority for the 16-square-foot in-ground plots. Beds that are not rented by residents are available to the public.

Website: http://www.alicesgardenmilwaukee.com/rental-plots.html

Contact: 414-687-0122

Name: Concordia Gardens

Location: 220 E. Concordia Ave.

Cost: $10-30 for first plot; $10 for an additional plot

Description: This community garden features 4- by 8-foot raised beds.

Website: http://victorygardeninitiative.org/event-1816969

Contact: Yaa Bema Tutu at yaa@VictoryGardenInitiative.org or 414-364-7579

Name: Garden District Community Garden

Location: Sixth Street and West Howard Avenue

Cost: $25 with an additional $25 clean-up deposit

Description: Beds available to rent include in-ground 20-foot square beds and raised 4- by 16-foot beds. The clean-up deposit will be returned once the renter cleans the bed at the end of the season.

Website: http://milwaukeegdna.com/Committees/Garden_Committee/garden_committee.html#GardenPlots

Contact: Dawn at dawn@milwaukeegdna.com or 414-379-2450

Name: Madison Garden

Location: 3201 W. Madison St.

Cost: $5 for residents living in Silver City, Burnham Park or Layton Park

Description: Four 4- by 8-foot raised beds are available in this pocket park created by residents and Layton Boulevard West Neighbors.

Website: http://www.lbwn.org/parks-recreation

Contact: Brett Lipshutz at blip73@gmail.com

Name: Milwaukee County Cooperative Extension

Location: Ten locations available: http://milwaukee.uwex.edu/files/2010/08/Community-Gardens-Map.pdf

Cost: $20 up to $252, depending on bed size.

Description: Garden sizes range from 200- to 10,000-square-foot beds. Staff from the Cooperative Extension Urban Agriculture Program till, stake and provide water for the gardens. The renting period is May 25 to Oct. 18. Garden rentals may be renewed to keep the same plot each year.

Website: http://milwaukee.uwex.edu/agriculture/garden-rental/

Contact: garden.rentals@ces.uwex.edu or 414-256-4606

Name: Milwaukee Urban Gardens

Location: Varies

Cost: No cost for permit

Description: Residents can apply for seasonal permits from the City of Milwaukee to plant gardens in vacant city-owned lots in their neighborhood.

Website: http://city.milwaukee.gov/NeighborhoodGardens#.VQs1QmZBC3J

Contact: groundworkac@gmail.com or 414-431-0919

Name: The Story Garden

Location: 2830 W. Burnham St.

Cost: Free for residents living in Silver City, Burnham Park or Layton Park.

Description: Six 4- by 8-foot raised beds are available in this pocket park created by residents and Layton Boulevard West Neighbors.

Website: http://www.lbwn.org/parks-recreation

Contact: Jorian Giorno at jorian@lbwn.org or 414-385-5341

Name: Urban Ecology Center – Menomonee Valley Community Gardens

Location: Three Bridges Park

Cost: $35 Members ($70 Non-members)

Description: Available plots are 4- by 8-foot or 4- by 10-foot beds and are in walking distance of the Menomonee Valley Branch of the Urban Ecology Center. The organization provides gardening classes, as well as tools and water on site.

Website: http://urbanecologycenter.org/what-we-do/grow-your-own-food.html

Contact: Michael Espinoza at mespinoza@urbanecologycenter.org or 414-431-2940

Name: Victory Garden Initiative

Location: Varies

Cost: $160

Description: Volunteers from the Great Milwaukee Victory Garden Blitz will build and install raised garden beds from May 9 to May 23. Those interested should register for the 4-foot by 8-foot raised bed, which includes fresh soil.

Website: http://victorygardeninitiative.org/Blitz

Contact: Ellie Jackson at ellie.jackson@victorygardeninitiative.org

This story was originally published by Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service, where you can find other stories reporting on fifteen city neighborhoods in Milwaukee.