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If you vote online, you can help us to expand our orchard of fruit trees. To do this, click here. Then, click on the LEADERS tab and then press VOTE next to our name (8th place as of June 21). You will be asked to type in your name and email address and 2 security words at the bottom to confirm that you are a real person and not a computer. Then login to your email and click on the link in the message you receive to confirm your vote. Applications The application process for garden plots for 2010 closed on Feb. 15. The gardens are now full for 2010, but garden applications are still available here. Anyone applying now will be put on the wait list and may or may not receive a plot later in the season. Plot applications for 2011 will be available in December of 2011. Plot assignments for 2010 are now posted in the gardens and also available here. Garden meetings for spring 2010 will be the 4th Wednesday of each month at 6:30 pm. See sidebar at right for dates of upcoming meetings. All gardeners are encouraged to attend meetings and help run the gardens. Hope to see you there!

Last Updated July 26, 2010

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About the Garden

The University of Wisconsin’s Eagle Heights Community Gardens (EHCG) was established in 1962 to offer Eagle Heights residents and the UW and Madison communities the opportunity to have an organic garden and participate in garden activities. EHCG is one of the oldest and largest community gardens in the United States.

The EHCG are located in a peaceful natural setting adjacent to the University of Wisconsin’s Eagle Heights Housing and within the Lakeshore Nature Preserve. At last count - the pool of gardners speak approximately 60 languages. The gardens feature gardening practices from around the world. The setting provides also a wonderful place for meeting fellow gardeners, family picnics and walks, and bird watching.

Important Dates

  • Upcoming Garden Meetings:
  • WEDNESDAY, July 28, Eagle Heights Garden Arbor. Potluck at 6:30 pm. Bring a dish to share and your own utensils. Rain location at the Community Center.
  • WEDNESDAY, August 25, Eagle Heights Garden Arbor. Potluck at 6:30 pm. Same details as for the July 28 meeting.
  • Workshops
  • August 14, Harvest workshop - pesto, dehydrating, pickles, seed saving. More info soon.
  • 2010 Workdays
  • Notices for sign-up will be sent by email prior to the workdays.
  • July 31, Saturday, 9:30 am to 12:30 pm.
  • Workday Obligations
  • Dec. 1, last day to fulfill workday obligation or pay the no-workday fee for 2010.

Our Purpose

The University Apartments Community Gardens are an opportunity for the UW Madison community and area residents to enjoy nature, build community, learn about gardening, and feed their families. Specifically our purposes are:

  1. Nutritional – The gardens are an important source of fresh produce for many students and their families
  2. Recreational – The gardens are an opportunity for many people to enjoy nature and interact with the earth.
  3. Educational – We help our gardeners learn about the natural world, new gardening techniques, and ways to garden in an organic or environmentally friendly manner.
  4. Community building – The gardens are a place where students, university and community members from diverse age groups and cultural backgrounds can interact, learn from each other, and share in the creation of an aesthetically pleasing and environmentally friendly space.

These purposes are an outgrowth of the broader goals of the Lakeshore Nature Preserve, of which the gardens are a part, and its mission to "shelter biologically significant plant and animal communities for teaching, research, outreach, and environmentally sensitive use, and safeguard beloved cultural landscapes."