St. Cloud State University

Community Garden

A Community Growing Together

Rooted in the Community for Over 20 Years

The SCSU Community Garden has been growing food and community on campus for over 20 years. Rooted in a collective model — no individual plots, just shared work and shared harvest — the garden welcomes students, faculty, staff, and community members alike. Each season brings opportunities to get your hands in the soil during spring and summer planting days, connect with neighbors at our campus Farmer's Market, and stock up on garden-made goods at our Winter Market. The garden also serves as an outdoor classroom and gathering space, available for course sessions, department meetings, and community events from May through October. Whether you're here to grow, to learn, or simply to find a moment of quiet in a busy semester, the garden is open to you.

To get involved or reserve the space, contact Tracy Ore, Garden Director, at teore@stcloudstate.edu or 320-492-6724.

Community Garden Announcements

Planting begins May 2

The 22nd season kicks off with the first planting day Saturday, May 2, and continue every Saturday in May at 10 a.m. Everyone is welcome—longtime gardeners, first‑timers, and anyone curious about growing something new. No experience needed; just come ready to dig in.

Tools and gloves are provided (feel free to bring your own), and we’ll have food and beverages available.

The garden has always been about more than what we plant. Come for the garden, stay for the community.

Winter Market Mondays

Who says the SCSU Community Garden has to sleep all winter? Join us for Monthly Market Mondays in our new Community Garden Cafe space (ISELF 116), where we're keeping the growing season alive—one jar at a time.

April 27 from noon to 2 p.m. - Last one!

Browse our selection of 12-15 varieties of homemade jams, pickled beets, dried herbs, and other garden treasures. Sample a jam (or two—we won't judge). Enjoy a cup of tea. Take home something delicious for yourself or as a gift. And while you're at it, take a breath, connect with your neighbors, and remember what tomatoes taste like.

Every purchase supports the SCSU Community Garden and our 20-year tradition of growing food, building partnerships, and cultivating community right here on campus.

Your Next Class or Meeting Could Look a Little Different

For 20 years, the SCSU Community Garden has been more than a place to grow food — it’s an outdoor classroom and gathering space open to all faculty and staff.

Use the garden to spark conversations around sustainability, food access, and community. Hold a class under the open sky, host a team‑building session, celebrate a department milestone, or simply give your group a change of scenery. No gardening experience required.

The garden is available for reservations May 1–October 31 through the campus EMS system. The space includes Wi‑Fi and electrical access, and spring is the ideal time to secure your preferred date.

Curious how the garden could support your work this season? Reach out — we’d love to help you make the most of it.

Seeds to Summit

As part of a new grant, the Community Garden will host a Seeds to Summit event in February 2027. To help us prepare for this event, fill out a quick online survey.

Seeds to Summit is co-sponsored by the Community Garden, Honors College, University Library, Biology, and Huskies Food Pantry at St. Cloud State University.

Complete the online survey

Plant These Seeds

Container Gardening

Herbs in pots

Container gardening has many advantages and can be a lot of fun. Read Tracy Ore's tips that tells you everything you need to know to start your own container garden.

Learn More About Container Gardening

Recipes

Produce on farmer's market table

Make something healthy and delicious for dinner tonight or to share with a neighbor. We have collected favorite recipes of from our garden volunteers.

View Our Recipe Collection

Canning and Freezing

rows of canned pickles

Enjoy your summer harvest all year long by preserving your produce with canning or freezing. Find your supplies list and step-by-step instructions here.

Canning and Freezing Your Harvest

The Numbers Tell a Story

50+

organizations consulted nationwide

100+

active community partners

15+

academic departments engaged

READ OUR 20-YEAR ECONOMIC IMPACT REPORT

READ THE CITY OF ST. CLOUD'S PROCLAMATION

Where Roots Take Hold

A beautiful diversity of living things have been sown and harvested in the St. Cloud State University Community Garden — all because 17 years ago Tracy Ore planted her vision and her knees on a scrubby patch of campus land on Fifth Avenue.

Tracy Ore and the multigenerational team of volunteer gardeners and community partners she has attracted to the garden have grown a rich array of produce, flowers and relationships on what soon became a campus/community intersection for cultivating what Ore calls "environmental and community sustainability."

It's a true community garden, an idea Ore says germinated as a result of one of those conversations that happen when a wonderful mentor comes along to change the trajectory of your life.

Donate Your Time, Talent or Treasure

Get Involved with the Garden Contact us today

If you would like to become involved with the upcoming season of the St. Cloud State University Community Garden, please contact Dr. Tracy Ore.

Tracy Ore, PhD
Community Garden Director
Professor of Sociology

Phone: (320) 492-6724
Email: teore@stcloudstate.edu
In person: 486 Centennial Hall

SEE OUR LOCATION ON GOOGLE MAPS

You cannot change any society unless you take responsibility for it, unless you see yourself as belonging to it and responsible for changing it.

Grace Lee Boggs

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