Manhattan Community Gardens
The Manhattan Community Gardens are a cooperative gardening project located in the south part of Manhattan, Kansas. Land is provided by the City of Manhattan and by Riley County. UFM Community Learning Center supervises the project. Garden sites are located in southern Manhattan at 9th and Riley Lane and at 1435 Collins Lane. A small plot rental fee is charged to cover costs of operating the program. Signups occur November to March each year or until all plots are rented.
Signing Up For a Garden Plot
- Review information about the gardens.
- Read garden rules.
- Email communitygarden@tryufm.org with your name, phone number, and the garden you are interested in – Riley Lane or Collins Lane. Someone will call or email you to get additional
information and help you select a plot. - Complete the application and mail a check (payable to UFM) in the amount of the plot rental and deposit fees to:
UFM
1221 Thurston St.
Manhattan, KS 66502 - If you need to pay by credit card, please indicate this in your initial email and include a phone number. We will call to get credit card information.
- We will email the receipt of the application upon receiving payment and then you are eligible to begin gardening.
Returning gardeners will follow the same procedure for adding an additional plot.
Preparing Your Garden Plot for Tilling
Volunteer Opportunities
Two volunteer activities for the good of the gardens are required by each gardening family.
Work Days & Socials
Below are the workdays for 2020.
Work will take place at both Riley and Collins Lane. Socials and the UFM workday are noted with an asterisk.
Sunday, March 8th, 2-4 p.m.
Saturday, April 4th, 9-11 a.m.
*Saturday, April 4th, 11 a.m. – Social at Riley
Saturday, May 9th, 9-11 a.m.
*Saturday, May 9th, 11 a.m. – Social at Collins
*Sunday, May 17th, 2-4 p.m. – UFM
Saturday, June 6th, 7:30-9:30 a.m.
Sunday, June 21st, 2-4 p.m.
Saturday, July 11th, 7:30-9:30 a.m.
Saturday, August 8th, 7:30-9:30 a.m.
Saturday, September 5th, 7:30-9:30 a.m.
Sunday, September 20th, 2-4 p.m.
Saturday, October 10th, 9-11 a.m.
Sunday, October 18th, 2-4 p.m.
Saturday, November 7th, 9-11 a.m. (make-up day ONLY); Annual Meeting at Collins
Mowing
Riley Lane
May – Oct
Collins Lane — Push Mower
May – October
Collins Lane — Riding Mower
May – October
Other Opportunities
Equipment Committee
Tilling Committee
Other Approved Service
Quicklinks & Downloads
- Garden Plot Rental Application
(no need to print; copies will be available at sign-ups)
Plot Rentals
Prices vary by plot on Riley Lane. Fees on Collins Lane are $50 per plot at full pay and $25 for low income gardeners. For more information on plot rental pricing and reduced fee guidelines, see the links to the left. If you have any questions, please email communitygarden@tryufm.org.
History
The Manhattan Community Garden began in 1974 with a mini grant from ACTION, coordinated by UFM. The land was purchased by Urban Renewal and was 150 ft from the Union Pacific Railroad tracks. This space was zoned as green space for the next 20 years.
The City and many volunteers cleared the old houses and trees from the site. A local nursery provided a tractor and fertilizer to turn the soil and the City agreed to install water meters and spigots at the site. The City agreed to donate water and a local bank donated seeds for the first year. During that first year, they had 60 plots planted.
A shed was donated by a developmental center and a small grant from Social Rehabilitation Services assisted during the first years. Later, in 2004, a new shed was donated by D&R Construction.
The lease on the two acres of gardening space is held by UFM Community Learning Center and renewed by the City of Manhattan every five years. A new site, Collins Lane, was added in 2012, is leased from Riley County and is open to anyone in the county.
The Manhattan Community Garden is grateful to the Riley County Commission for providing the land, to Howie’s Trash and Recycling Services for providing labor and financial resources to help develop the new site and to the City of Manhattan Parks department for helping develop the second acre at Collins Lane for gardening in 2013.
Currently, the Riley Lane Garden has 132 plots and Collins Lane has 152 plots. A plot renewal is charged on a sliding scale to cover garden expenses.