Community Gardening

Community Gardening

Community gardens are a place for all levels of gardener, from aspiring to master gardener. Join us and reap all of the benefits that community gardens offer. Access to delicious, nutritious, fresh food is just the beginning.

For more information about the Community Gardening Program, renting a garden plot, or guidelines for garden plot use, call 812-349-3704 or email the community gardening program.

Gardeners:

• experience physical and mental health benefits
• enjoy the sights and sounds of nature
• meet people with a shared interest
• carry out their own food culture
• engage children in experiential learning
• help their families develop healthy eating habits
• learn tips from gardening experts in our classes
• join us at community events 

The Bloomington Community Gardening program provides the infrastructure so that you can grow your own food, flowers, herbs and more. We provide:

• fencing to help exclude wildlife
• access to water
• communal tools
• composting
• knowledgeable garden staff who are ready to help you
• a monthly garden newsletter

Garden Plot Rental

Garden plot rentals open to the public on Thursday, March 5, 2026 at 10 a.m.

• Sign up to receive email updates about gardener registration (for prospective gardeners)

• All 2025 gardeners in good standing are already signed up to receive email updates.

• See a read-only copy of the 2026 Gardener Agreement

Garden Hours

Community gardens are open from dawn until dusk, April through October.

Restricted and Prohibited Plants

The Community Gardening Program has created this list in response to ongoing management issues in the community gardens. The plants referenced below have aggressive growth habits, tend to take over and persist in plots, spread unwanted seeds, and have other qualities we do not want in the community gardens.

Over time they present a challenge to the success of future gardeners. In the spirit of community gardens, please ensure that your plot is free from unacceptable plants. If you have questions or concerns about your or your neighbors’ plots or pathways, please contact CGP staff.

Restricted Plants

• Since 2015, new plantings of cane fruit (raspberries, blackberries, etc.), grape vines, fruit trees, and other woody perennials have been disallowed. 
• If you would like to gain experience with the cultivation of the above species, please look to the Bloomington Community Orchard, located on Highland Ave. just south of Willie Streeter Gardens, as a resource and an opportunity.

Prohibited Plants

• Since the start of the 2015 season, fast-growing, invasive plants including, but not limited to:
• Artemesia vulgaris (mugwort)
• Canada thistle
• mint species
• and any plant that multiplies in such a way (by seed, rhizome, etc.) as to overtake the plot/soil as a nuisance specimen will not be allowed.

The CGP staff will, at their discretion, determine if plants are invasive, prohibited by the State of Indiana, or otherwise inappropriate for a community gardening setting. If you have invasive plants in your plot, ask CGP staff for guidance on how best to remove them. Upon removal, please do not place invasive plants in the compost bins where they may proliferate and spread to other gardeners’ plots. They must be disposed of by the gardener.

Organic Method Guidelines

The National Organic Standards Board defines organic methods as “These methods integrate cultural, biological, and mechanical practices that foster cycling of resources, promote ecological balance, and conserve biodiversity.” Organic gardening emphasizes working with nature, soil building, preventing problems before they occur, and using only natural, non-toxic or minimally toxic substances if intervention is required. 

Bloomington Parks and Recreation requires all gardeners to follow organic method guidelines. Thank you for your cooperation in making our gardens safe and healthy for all participants. 

For more detailed information on gardening organically, please contact the CGP staff at (812) 349-3704, [email protected] or during the posted Garden Hours at the garden sites. 

Fertilizers 

Organic compost is an exceptional fertilizer. It provides nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K), as well as other elements like calcium, magnesium, sulfur, and other micronutrients. Furthermore, compost improves soil tilth, improves drainage, prevents erosion, neutralizes toxins, holds precious moisture, releases essential nutrients, and feeds soil microbes essential to soil health. 

A quick way to tell if a fertilizer is approved as an organic substance is if it is labeled “OMRI Listed.” 

Recommended Fertilizers

• Organic compost (N, P, K) 
• Animal manures (composted or properly aged before use) (N) 
• Alfalfa meal (N) 
• Blood meal (N) 
• Hoof and horn meal (N) 
• Kelp or seaweed (liquid or powder) (N) 
• Fish emulsion (N, P) 
• Rock phosphate (P) 
• Soft phosphate (colloidal) (P) 
• Bone meal (P) 
• Wood ashes (K) 
• Granite or feldspar dust (K) 
• Greensand (K)

Prohibited Fertilizers 

• Miracle-Gro or synthetic fertilizers of any kind 
• Milorganite or any formulations containing sewage sludge 
• Ammonium Phosphates like DAP or MAP 
• Chilean Nitrate Superphosphate (acidulated phosphates) 
• Chilean Nitrate of Potash (15-0-14) 
• Muriate of Potash, KCl, (0-0-60) 
• Charcoal or cigarette ashes 

Pesticides

Organic methods promote a healthy ecosystem where birds, insects, plants, microorganisms, and people reach a natural balance that is beneficial for all. The first line of pest control for the organic grower should be a careful evaluation and maximization of the soil and nutrients for a plant. Good compost and loose, rich soil are often the best solutions for pests. Make sure plants receive enough water and sunlight, choose plants that grow well in this part of the world, utilize companion plantings and crop rotation. All of these actions can help prevent insect problems. 

Pest control products that are “OMRI Listed” are permitted for use. 

Pest Control in Organic Plots 

• Beneficial insects (ladybugs, praying mantids, trichogramma wasps, lacewings, tachinid and syrphid flies, etc.)
• Hand-picking Traps (pheromone, sticky, water, food, etc.) 
• Row covers 
• Spraying with garlic, onion or vegetable oil, and pepper sprays
• Insecticidal soaps (preferably biodegradable soap solutions) 
• Bacillus thuringiensis (BT) 
• Chitin Diatomaceous earth 
• Bicarbonates -sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) and potassium bicarbonate 
• Sulfur 

Prohibited for use 

• Synthetic pesticides, insecticides or fungicides of any kind, including but not limited to these brand names/products:
• Bug B Gon
• Captan
• Diazinon
• Insectagon
• Kelthane
• Lindane
• Malathion
• Permethrin
• Sevin
• Thuricide, etc. 
• Nicotine in any form
• Formulations containing copper e.g., Bordeaux Mix
• Rotenone 
• Pyrethroids (synthetic pyrethrum) 

Herbicides

Synthetic herbicides of any kind are PROHIBITED, including, but not limited to, these brand names/products:

• Roundup
• Scythe
• Preen
• Spectracide
• Ortho
• Image, etc.