RESOURCES for Gardeners & Farmers

For facilitation of community organizing and relationships with land and resource holders — download the full final report here

Section 1. The seed: People and partnership possibilities

1a. Core people involved, supportive relationships: Finding potential partners

Schools

Faith Communities

  • Interfaith Action – bring together volunteers, civic leaders, and interfaith clergy for opportunities that build connection and understanding and that inform effective, responsible, and systemic action. 
  • FaithLands – FaithLands is a growing national movement to connect and inspire faith communities to use their land in new ways that promote ecological and human health, support local food and farming, enact reparative justice, and strengthen communities. The Upper Midwest community involved in Commons Land (see http://commons.land) are connected to FaithLands initiatives and networks.

1b. Who can this land feed? Community engagement

1b1. Gardening Matters toolkit

1b2. Nothing About Us Without Us: Disability Oppression and Empowerment – James Charlton (Excerpt resource from MDA Emerging Farmers Report)

Available online (Internet Archive) and for loan at the St. Paul Public Library

1c. Mentorship — How to find existing urban agriculture communities

1d. Stewardship

1d1. Agreement template for stewardship responsibilities

1d2. Conflict resolution guidelines

Other resources (and see section 3 below for a guide to the MDA urban agriculture grant program):

Section 2: The soil: Land and related tax, insurance, and policy resources + maps / general orientation]

2a. What options for land are available?

Map of Community Gardens: Minnesota State Horticultural Society Community Garden Map

2a1 – Identifying who owns vacant land

Ramsey County Interactive Tax Map

Ramsey County Tax Assessor’s Office: For properties in Ramsey County, call Property Records at 651-266-2000 or visit their website. 

2a2 – Accessing vacant public land

Garden Lease Guidelines for City of St. Paul HRA Land

Accessing MnDOT Land

  • State statutes guide how MnDOT handles the designation and sale of surplus highway rights of way. Most units of government have real estate, land or right of way offices. A good place to start if interested in purchasing MnDOT right of way for an urban food project is to contact the MnDOT’s Office of Land Management at LandSales.MN.DOT@state.mn.us. 
  • If a government agency is leading a garden project as a public project- they should reach out to MnDOT before nonprofit or neighborhood partners. Considerations such as the existence of environmental reports and soil condition surveys are addressed in the FAQ, and considerations for urban soils from the EPA or MN Department of Health are good resources.
  • Another alternative to purchasing right of way is often land use agreements, leasing, permits and licenses. For most government entities, these are considered temporary and short term uses of public lands but urban food cultivation may or may not be an allowable use based on many factors. (MnDOT Community Garden Permits – at bottom under “Miscellaneous work permit special provisions” – permit has to be submitted annually)

Accessing Parks and Recreation land St. Paul Parks and Recreation Community Gardening 

Contacting current landholders

2b. Land suitability checklist

  1. What do you want to grow and is the land identified suitable for that?
    1. University of Minnesota Extension – Yard & Garden
      1. Great resource for identifying what kind of plants you may want to grow and how to best care for them.
    2. USDA Hardiness Zones
      1. Hardiness Zones are important in determining what kind of plants will do well in your community farm or garden.(MN Horticulture Society, USDA)
    3. GM Resource Attachment III: Garden Site Evaluation
      1. Checklist of important considerations for your site
    4. Washington State University Extension 
      1. Additional considerations for your site
  2. What water sources, and their quality, are available to you?
    1. Hydrants located on the site of the garden site can be used with a permit.
      1. Ramsey County Hydrant Permit
    2. Rain Barrels
      1. With permission, you can also capture rainwater from adjacent properties. (UMN Extension)
    3. Drip Irrigation
      1. Drip and soaker-hose irrigation can be used in all areas of the garden for transplanted and established plants, and especially for deep-rooted fruit trees and ornamentals. (Colorado State University Extension)
    4. Residential/Commercial Property Water Agreement
      1. Ask nearby residences or businesses to access their water. A water meter attached to a spigot can be used to measure use. It is also important to discuss any fees, how it will be secured, and any other relevant concerns with the property owner.
  3. Where is the site located and will that impact accessibility?
    1. Metro Transit Schedules and Maps
    2. Transit Assistance Program (Metro Transit)
    3. ACGA COMMUNITY GREENING REVIEW: The Accessible Garden
  4. Garden planning and design
    1. “Gardeners should be involved in the planning, design, and setup of the garden. Involving all gardeners in making these decisions is inclusive and community-oriented. Connect with other community gardens in the area with similar visions for lessons, ideas, and relationships.” – Gardening Matters Resource Guide (2019)
    2. UMN Extension: Landscape Design
    3. Garden design charrette and considerations (Collard Greens and Common Ground pg. 13-19)
    4. Garden design resources
    5. Are raised beds right for you?
    6. Building Raised Beds (GM) (MN Horticulture Society)
  5. What other challenges may arise here? What prior uses were on and what potential hazards are near your site (nearby land use, traffic, etc.), and what resources may be needed to help mitigate these (fences, soil amendment, etc.)?
    1. Process for getting soil tested for quality and safety: https://www.ramseycounty.us/your-government/projects-initiatives/urban-ag-community-gardening#tab-7-0 
    2. UMN Extension soil testing & soil health videos
    3. UMN Extension Jardinería (Español) videos (soil testing, garden prep)
    4. Soil remediation – EPA Brownfields Program – prevent, assess, safely clean up, and sustainably reuse brownfields

Other potentially relevant questions in Land Characteristics Questions document

2c. Land characteristics and land use restrictions list

  1. How to get deed or find details about land history
    1. Property Tax look up
    2. Ramsey County Recorder’s Office

Land use restrictions list

  1. Can you farm or garden? 
  2. Do you want to have a greenhouse, hoop house, or high tunnel? Will you need a place to store tools? 
  3. Are you planning to have fowl/livestock/bees?
  4. Will you make your own compost?
  5. Do you plan to sell produce on site?
  6. Do you need a sign/community board?

If your site is in Ramsey County, check our zoning overview table to see the rules for your food cultivation activities in the city and zoning district where your site is located. If you do not live in Ramsey County, review the city code or ask for assistance from the planning or community development office in the city where your site is located.

If your site is located in Minneapolis, check out Homegrown Minneapolis to see rules for your food cultivation activities.

2d. Ordinances and planning standards

  1. Are you going to need a fence? (Consider height needed for deer vs. rabbits, etc.)
  2. Are you going to need parking places? Access to the site by commercial vehicles?
  3. Are you interested in expanding cultivation into a right-of-way? 
  4. Will you be growing or composting close to the lot lines or road? 
  5. Can your site receive reduced stormwater drainage fees?
    1. Some cities reduce stormwater drainage fees based on the site’s percentage of permeable surface.

If your site is in Ramsey County, check our policy overview table to see the rules for your food cultivation activities in the city and zoning district where your site is located. If you do not live in Ramsey County, visit the city code or ask for assistance from the planning or community development office in the city where your site is located.

2e. Securing suitable land tenure

  1. FLAG – Sustainable & Long-Term Leases in Minnesota
  2. Application processes for public lands
    1. Each entity may have standardized lease terms, discuss needs and terms with the landowner.
    2. See 2a2 – Accessing Public Land
  3. Center for Community Land Trust Innovation -Land Tenure: Key Concepts

2f. Taxes

  1. Discussion of which arrangements are responsible for taxes
    1. Public Land
      1. If your farm/garden is located on publicly-owned land, you are exempt from property taxes.
    2. Private Land
      1. If leasing on privately owned land and not holding tax exemption status, discuss tax obligations with the current landowner. See Strategies to Reduce Tax Burdens for more information.
  1. Strategies to reduce tax burdens
    1. Is this a non-profit use of the land? If so, consider MN statute property tax exemptions. This exemption may already–or potentially could–apply to your urban food cultivation site, but requires application and approval from the tax assessor every three years.
      1. Ramsey County Tax Exemption Application
        1. For public sites deemed to be of charitable use, you may be eligible for tax exemption if registered as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. Qualified exempt organizations will need to acquire the property and use it for exempt purposes prior to July 1 of the current year in order for the property to be exempt from the next year’s payable taxes.
    2. If not a non-profit use of the land,
      1. Consider your eligibility for Green Acres
        1. Green Acres and Rural Preserve 
        2. Minnesota’s Property Tax Programs for Agricultural and Rural Lands
        3. Ways for your site to qualify: setting up greenhouse, establishing 2a agricultural land classification
      2. If you own the land, consider putting an easement on it
        1. Easements restrict land uses. This reduces property values, which decreases taxes. 
        2. Conservation easement memo
    3. Notes on The Tax Implications of Urban Agriculture: Liabilities and Incentives (Full Chapter – Martha Horrell Chumbler)

2g. Insurance

  1. Instruction on how to check if a district council, city, or other organization will put your farming or gardening project on their insurance:

Premises liability coverage is often required for farming/gardening activities on public land, and may be optional when leasing private land. The extent of the coverage may vary depending on standards that are set by the landowner. Check with the landowner for their insurance coverage requirements.

  1. District Council
    1. For Saint Paul residents, District Councils can facilitate community gardens through funding and insurance coverage.
      1. District Council Directory
  2. Local nonprofits and businesses, and adjacent landowners
    1. Nonprofits such as religious organizations, clubs, social service organizations, and so on may be able to add the garden to their existing policy. Businesses, homeowners, and other landowners in the community may be willing to sponsor the garden and add the garden to their existing policy, or by expanding their coverage. 
  1. How to apply for premises liability and other insurance as needed
    1. If applying for liability insurance independently, it is important to understand what your options are and what you will need to consider when shopping for coverage. For more information, visit Urban Ag Law: Liability, Risk, and Insurance.
  2. Other Land Resources
    1. Sample Garden Documents

Section 3. The plants: Programming / Resources / Services

3a. Getting seeds or starts

  1. Minnesota Green – distributes donated plants, seeds, gardening tools and supplies to community and public gardens
  2. Community Free Seed Libraries (Como Community Seed Library, White Bear Lake Seed Library)
  3. Ujamaa Seed  

3b. Compost

*It is recommended that you test your soil (see soil testing resources, p. [x]) before you add compost to your growing space. Results will determine whether compost or an alternative may be better suited to your soil and the surrounding environment. Excessive additions of compost may result in phosphorus runoff, which can be harmful to watershed health.

3b1. Guides to composting in home gardens

3b2. Getting compost

3b3. Composting infrastructure

  • Programs – Compost Market Development (Ramsey/Washington Recycling & Energy)
  • Composting and Rain Water Bins (Recycling Association of Minnesota)
  • BizRecycling Grants (Ramsey/Washington Recycling & Energy) – provides grants to help businesses, nonprofits, schools, multi-unit residential properties and institutions in Ramsey or Washington County reduce waste and improve recycling. Your site may be able to partner with a local entity to qualify for the recycling grant to get composting equipment or assistance related to food waste reduction efforts. [applications accepted throughout the year]
  • For assistance applying, contact info@bizrecycling.com or call 651-266-1199

3b4. Alternatives to compost (nutrients, managing compaction, filling beds)

3c. Initial and repeated soil testing

Understanding the soil test (UMN Extension)

3d. Growing educational resources

3e. Access to infrastructure or tools

  1. Lakewinds Organic Field Fund – provides funding to farmers working on the development and sustainability of organics (for purchase of equipment and tools, projects that improve soil health, etc.)
  2. Mill City Farmers Market Grants – (must have been in operation for more than one year) provides funding to local, regenerative farmers and other food producers who are improving sustainable farming and business practices or growing toward the “next stage” of their local food businesses
  3. Neighborhood STAR Program (Neighborhood Sales Tax Revitalization) – provides loans and grants for physical (capital) improvement projects within Saint Paul neighborhoods to any public, private, non-profit or for-profit entity. Improvements may include commercial and housing rehabilitation, parks, streetscape projects, and economic development activities. STAR-funded capital improvements should have an expected life of seven or more years. *This means to use STAR funds, land tenure must be secure for at least seven years. You may be able to partner with your district council to apply. Having a city councilor or STAR Board member champion is also helpful. [annual, applications often due in spring.] For assistance applying, contact Nancy Vang (651-266-6474; PED-NeighborhoodStar@ci.stpaul.mn.us)
  4. AGRI Urban Agriculture Grant Program (Minnesota Department of Agriculture) – helps organizations and communities obtain the materials and services necessary to successfully promote urban youth agricultural education and urban agriculture community development [annual – applications due in early January] For assistance applying, contact Emily Mehr (651-201-6456; Emily.Mehr@state.mn.us)
  5. Guide to MDA urban agriculture grant rubric:

If you can answer yes to any of the following questions, you may be eligible for MN Department of Agriculture grants that can help with building water access, fencing, soil remediation, business startup, or other resource needs, see p. [x] for more details. 

  • Can you demonstrate the capacity to successfully implement and sustain an urban agriculture project? 
  • Can you demonstrate community engagement in and support for the project?
  • Do you have a work plan that is adequately thorough and realistic? Do you have plans for an appropriate budget? (The discussions of resources in this guide may help provide ideas for what to budget.)
  • Can you describe how your project serves communities of color or Native American tribal communities? (See also Nothing About Us Without Us resource above)
  • Does the project advance urban youth agricultural education and/or urban agriculture community development?
  • Can you demonstrate commitment to positive environmental impact such as: 
  • Promotion of clean water, 
  • healthy soils, carbon sequestration, 
  • and pollinator habitat; 
  • Reduction of waste or more efficient use of energy, water, nutrients, or other inputs; 
  • Promotion of organic and sustainable agriculture?
  • Can you demonstrates a commitment to economic justice, such as through:
    • Creation of living-wage jobs; 
    • Provision of entrepreneurial education and skills training; 
    • Protection of land tenure; 
    • Expansion of urban lands for agricultural use; 
    • Reducing or eliminating health disparities related to food access?
  1. Environmental Quality Incentives Program (Natural Resources Conservation Service) – High Tunnel Initiative – provides financial assistance for installing high tunnels/hoop houses [applications accepted throughout the year]. For assistance applying, find your local NRCS service center or staff person (the nearest office and contact may be 430 3rd St; Suite 250; Farmington, MN 55024-1355; Christopher Schmidt – chris.schmidt@usda.gov)
  1. Urban and Community Conservation Grant Initiative (National Association of Conservation Districts) – designed to enhance conservation districts’ urban agriculture conservation technical assistance activities in developed and developing areas of both urban and rural communities. The program has supported community farming and gardening programs, expanded outreach capacities to current and underrepresented clients, planned operations to extend growing seasons using hoop houses and other practices, remediated poor-yielding agricultural sites, and contributed to many other natural resource conservation efforts. *This would require collaboration between conservation districts and farmers or gardeners. [annual – applications due in spring]

Find your conservation district 

If you have further questions after contacting staff at your local conservation district, contact Ariel Rivers (ariel-rivers@nacdnet.org)

3f. What other resources are available to help your project? 

NGOs: Information and resource availability – Mentorship and education

Youth: Urban Roots, Youth Farm, Project Sweetie Pie,

Immigrant, Refugee, BIPOC: Hmong American Farmers Association (HAFA), CAPI USA (Food cultivation in North Minneapolis), Big River Farms, Emerging Farmers Conference, Comunidades Latinas Unidas en Servicio (CLUES), Asian Economic Development Association (AEDA)

Legal: Farmers’ Legal Action Group, Minnesota Farmers Union

Agriculture: Urban Farm and Garden Alliance (UFGA — in Rondo and Frogtown), Frogtown Farm, Homegrown Minneapolis, Minnesota State Horticultural Society, Renewing the Countryside, Sustainable Farming Association (SFA has a Metro Growers Network)

Public health promoters/foundations: St. Paul-Ramsey County Public Health – Statewide Health Improvement Partnership, The Food Group