Announcements
The gardens are closed for the season. Applications for 2009 will be available on this site in January 2009. The application is due by February 15th and ALL gardeners are required to reapply.
Garden committee meetings are held every month at 7pm on the fourth Tuesday of the month at the Eagle Heights Community Center. All meetings are open and we welcome visitors and new committee members.
Check the forum for other announcements and news on gardening events in our gardens and around Madison.
Last Updated November 20, 2008
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 Committee Meetings:
- November 25th
- Important Dates for 2009 Season
- January- Application available
- February 15th- Application due
- April 4th- Plot assignments posted
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:
- Nutritional – The gardens are an important source of fresh produce for many students and their families
- Recreational – The gardens are an opportunity for many people to enjoy nature and interact with the earth.
- Educational – We help our gardeners learn about the natural world, new gardening techniques, and ways to garden in an organic or environmentally friendly manner.
- 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."