Gardener Resources

As a member of the Penn State Community Garden, you will have access to:

• Our shed of tools, including shovels, broadforks, hoes, trowels, pruners, watering cans, and wheelbarrows. You will be given the lock combination to the shed once your garden membership is confirmed.
• Our rototiller (please contact garden leadership for training on rototiller use!)
• Our compost, mulch, and straw for use on your plot.
• Our water pumps, located along the downhill fence of the garden.

Compost etiquette

We encourage you to compost weeds and other plant material from your plot in our compost piles! These are located near the picnic tables at the edge of the woods. You are also welcome to bring your kitchen scraps to compost at the garden, but please limit this to fruits and vegetables - no meat or bones.

We have a three-part compost system.

1. All fresh inputs* should go into bins labelled "1."
2. Once these materials begin to break down, they will be turned into bins labelled "2."
3. Nearly finished compost will be turned into bins labelled "3," and you can take compost from these bins for use on your plot. We also order finished compost for your use, located around the corner and slightly uphill from our compost bins.

*NOTE: If weeds are fully grown and have gone to seed, please instead deposit these materials in the woods behind the compost bins. We'd like to keep our compost free of weed seeds!

Useful links

Click the images below for tips on garden planning and management!