St. Anthony Park Community Garden
A welcoming, volunteer-run neighborhood garden where community members grow food, flowers, friendships, and a more sustainable future together.
Garden Location:
2231 Robbins St, St Paul, MN 55114 • Google Maps
Questions?
Email garden@sapcc.org or call Sue Conner at 651-271-9844.
Annual Community Garden Event
2026 Garden Sip & Stroll
Tuesday, August 4, 2026
5:00 to 8:00 p.m.
St. Anthony Park Community Garden
2231 Robbins St, St Paul
Join the gardeners and the St. Anthony Park Community Council for a warm summer evening among blooming flowers, vegetables, prairie grasses, and neighbors at the Annual Garden Sip & Stroll.
Walk the garden paths, visit with gardeners, enjoy refreshments, and hear live music by Nick Jordan and Mike Wilson on clarinet and guitar. Neighbors of all ages are welcome, whether you have a garden plot, have visited before, or are discovering this neighborhood treasure for the first time.
The Sip & Stroll is FREE and open to the community. No registration is required. Come for a few minutes or stay for the evening.
A Neighborhood Garden for Everyone
The St. Anthony Park Community Garden is one of the neighborhood’s most cherished green spaces. Owned by the St. Anthony Park Community Council and cared for entirely by volunteers, the garden has brought neighbors together for more than four decades.
The garden includes approximately 95 individual plots, beds that produce food for community members, perennial growing areas, flowers, prairie plants, and shared spaces that support pollinators, food access, and neighborhood connection.
You do not need to rent a plot to appreciate or support the garden. Neighbors are welcome to walk past, visit respectfully, attend community events, volunteer, and learn more about this long-standing neighborhood project.
2026 Garden Season Information
Applications for new gardeners closed on March 2, 2026. No additional applications are being accepted for the 2026 season.
Returning gardeners are given the first opportunity to renew their plots each year. When plots become available, new gardener applications are entered into a lottery.
Applicants who were not awarded a plot through the 2026 lottery will receive a refund of any rental fees paid.
2026 New Gardener Applications Closed
Garden Documents
The links below contain the current garden policies and the most recently published annual garden report.
Pay Online
Please submit a garden payment only after receiving instructions through the application and plot-assignment process.
Garden plots cost $40 per year for the 2026 season. There is an additional $2 charge for payments made online through PayPal.
If an applicant pays online but is not offered a plot through the lottery, the garden rental fee will be refunded.
Plot Availability
Garden plots often fill quickly. Final availability varies from year to year because returning gardeners have the opportunity to renew their existing plots before spaces are offered to new gardeners.
Plots that are not renewed are offered to new applicants through a lottery. New gardeners who receive a plot are notified by email and receive information about plot assignments, garden expectations, volunteer responsibilities, and the annual spring meeting.
Questions about future availability?
Email garden@sapcc.org or call Sue Conner at 651-271-9844.
Garden Details
The St. Anthony Park Community Garden is located on the north side of Robbins Street, between Raymond Avenue and Highway 280.
The garden has approximately 95 plots. Individual plots are approximately 15 by 20 feet, and water is available on site. About two-thirds of the plots are seasonal plots that are tilled in the spring. The remaining plots are perennial plots that are not tilled.
Only one application may be submitted per household. All gardeners are expected to help operate and care for the shared garden.
How the Annual Process Works
- Returning gardeners renew their plots first.
- Plots that are not renewed become available to new gardeners.
- A lottery is used when there are more applicants than available plots.
- Gardeners attend a spring meeting to receive assignments, meet section managers, and select volunteer responsibilities.
- Gardeners care for both their individual plots and the garden’s shared spaces.
Garden Address:
2231 Robbins St, St Paul, MN 55114 • Google Maps
Community Garden History
The St. Anthony Park Community Garden began in 1981 and has operated continuously since then. It was established by volunteers as a project of the St. Anthony Park Community Council.
Located along the railroad edge of the neighborhood, the garden transformed previously underused land into a vibrant community space. Gardeners grow food, flowers, native plants, and greenery that create an attractive buffer between nearby transportation and industrial activity and the surrounding neighborhood.
Each year, gardeners also grow and donate produce in support of local food access. The garden reflects a long-standing neighborhood commitment to sustainability, food justice, volunteer leadership, and shared community space.
Bordered by the railroad, Highway 280, and the University of Minnesota busway, and located near employment centers and public transportation, the garden remains a true urban oasis.
St. Anthony Park is grateful to the early volunteers who began the garden with a compost site and a small collection of plots. Among them were Joe Keleher, Bob Bacon, and Community Council Director Ann Copeland. The garden continues today because of the many volunteers who have cared for and strengthened it across generations.
What the Garden Provides
- A welcoming place for neighbors to grow food and flowers.
- An opportunity for neighbors of different ages and backgrounds to connect.
- A greener corridor along the railroad edge of the neighborhood.
- Habitat and food sources for pollinators and other urban wildlife.
- A strong volunteer-led community tradition spanning more than four decades.
- Produce donations that support local food access.
A SAPCC-Owned, Volunteer-Run Community Garden
The garden property is owned by the St. Anthony Park Community Council and managed entirely by volunteers as a project of the Community Council.
All gardeners are expected to contribute to the work of operating the garden. The garden steering committee provides oversight, organization, communication, and guidance throughout the year.
This shared stewardship has allowed the garden to remain welcoming, productive, and rooted in community leadership since 1981.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a garden plot?
Returning gardeners renew first each year. Any plots that become available are offered to new applicants through a lottery. Applications for the 2026 season are now closed. Information about the 2027 application process will be posted on this page when it becomes available.
How many plots are in the garden?
The garden has approximately 95 individual plots. The number available to new gardeners changes each year depending on how many returning gardeners renew their plots.
How large are the plots?
Individual garden plots are approximately 15 by 20 feet. Water is available at the garden.
How much does it cost to rent a plot?
Garden plots cost $40 per year for the 2026 season. Donations, grants, and volunteer support also help sustain garden operations.
Do gardeners have volunteer responsibilities?
Yes. The garden is operated entirely by volunteers, and all gardeners are expected to help care for shared areas and complete garden tasks during the season.
Can I visit if I do not have a garden plot?
Yes. The garden is a neighborhood community space. Visitors are welcome to walk through respectfully, enjoy the garden, attend public events, and learn more about the work of the gardeners.
Have another question? Email garden@sapcc.org.
2231 Robbins St, St Paul, MN 55114