About the Garden
Inver Hills Community Garden
Find us:
From the top floor of Heritage Hall, enter out of the north door (toward the Business Building). Turn left and take the trail to see our Community Garden & Biology Natural Area.
The garden is open to the public from dawn to dusk.
Our garden is an interdisciplinary, cooperative effort among Inver Hills Community College students, employees & community members. The garden has three components: the communal garden (one acre +), communal orchard, and 38 individual plots.
Growing Food
The communal garden and orchard are maintained by our volunteers, assisted by our staff. We produce University of Minnesota disease resistant apples, perfect for this climate. All green waste from the garden goes to our compost bins. Students, employees and community members contribute their time to grow fresh food for our on-campus food shelf.
Growing Experiences
The garden provides opportunities for hands-on learning experiences. Students participate in day to day maintenance. Classes use the garden for lab activities, such as soil testing and growth experiments. The communal garden also functions as an outdoor classroom and performance space, with a thirty seat amphitheater. Administration, faculty, and staff use this space to hold office hours, teach their classes, and for concerts and other events. Classes use the garden as reflective space, for creative writing inspiration, and as a place to showcase their visual art.
Growing Community
The final component of our garden is the area with thirty community plots. Students, student clubs, alumni, employees and community members from Inver Grove Heights and surrounding areas grow their own food in 10x10 plots. Each plot has a wide array of veggies, plants and flowers. Former farmers, master gardeners and novice gardeners alike learn from each other to make this place come alive. Flowers surround massive tomatoes and cucumbers, making this spot one of the most beautiful and interesting places in our garden. Some gardeners choose to donate all they grow.
Growing Soil
The communal garden is managed following soil conservation principles. Low/no till practices, cover crops and other techniques minimize soil disturbance, maximize soil biota and reduce erosion. Restorative agriculture improves soil, water and air. We partner with University of Minnesota Extension, and the Dakota County Master Gardener program maintains a plot trialing new seeds and techniques each year.