crowleystationgarden Educational Content, Garden Information, Uncategorized

Urban Gardening for Climate Resilience

Community gardens help cities adapt to climate change. They reduce the urban heat island effect, absorb rainfall, and provide pollinator habitat. This year, we’ve also unknowingly created an urban bunny playground and grazing buffet! The conundrum of gardening is how to attract the ‘good’ wildlife and keep the pests at bay. Nonetheless, at Crowley Station, our raised beds are part of a larger vision for a more climate-smart Madison. Want to be part of the solution? Grow a garden. It’s one small act with a big environmental impact. We have a few beds available for fall planting, and you can join our waitlist for next season any time.

crowleystationgarden About CSCG, Community

Who Grows Here? We Are a Diverse Garden Community

Welcome to our garden! Located in the heart of Madison, the Crowley Station Community Garden offers a vibrant space where neighbors grow food, friendships, and community spirit. As part of Madison Parks and the Lakefront Porch initiative, we promote organic practices in an urban setting. Our raised-bed layout maximizes growing potential while making gardening accessible. Whether you’re a seasoned grower or a curious beginner, you’re welcome to visit, volunteer, or rent a plot. Join us in turning concrete into green space and discover the joys of gardening in a shared, sustainable environment.

Our gardeners come from all walks of life—students, retirees, families, and first-time growers. At Crowley Station, diversity isn’t just in the plants, it’s in the people. The garden is a space where cultures intersect through food, traditions, and stories. Whether you’re growing heirloom tomatoes, bok choi, or Thai basil, you’re part of a rich, shared tapestry. We welcome everyone because healthy communities grow from shared roots.

crowleystationgarden About CSCG, Community, Garden Information

The History Beneath Our Garden


Did you know Crowley Station Garden is built atop a functional water pump station? This urban marvel is a creative use of space that blends utility with beauty. Designed as a raised-bed garden, we’ve transformed a concrete rooftop into a thriving organic haven. It’s a reminder that gardening can happen anywhere—even over infrastructure. Our unique location reflects our mission to green the city in unexpected and sustainable ways. Learn more about how the garden came to be here.

The Crowley Station Community Garden sits atop
Madison Water Utility Well #17.

crowleystationgarden Educational Content

📚12 Must-have Cookbooks for Midwestern Gardeners

The Upper Midwest has a rich culinary heritage, and some of the most creative voices in food are right here in Madison and nearby Minneapolis. From Indigenous ingredients to plant-based plates, this collection of cookbooks reflects the region’s deep connection to land, community, and flavor. Whether you’re craving comfort food, exploring sustainable eating, or just love a good kitchen story, these authors have something inspiring to offer. Dive into this curated list of cookbooks from local talents and discover new recipes, ideas, and the stories behind them—all rooted in the vibrant food culture of the Midwest.

crowleystationgarden Garden Information, Garden Tips

Planting Guide: Spring Favorites

Spring is planting season at Crowley Station! Cool-weather crops like lettuce, radishes, peas, and kale thrive in early Wisconsin weather. Plant these in well-prepared soil and keep them watered during dry spells. Use row covers to protect from unexpected frosts and hungry critters. Look at this beautiful batch of arugula grown by one of our gardeners!

Arugula, also known as rocket, is a peppery leafy green with a long history and diverse culinary uses. It‘s a good source of vitamins and minerals.

crowleystationgarden Garden Information

2024 Garden Season

In the last few years, the Lakefront Porch Committee and partners in the community and the City of Madison have been hard at work planning and then implementing the installation of the new Lakefront Porch pocket park on the Crowley Station platform.

Because the disruption of Covid-19 was followed by the uncertainties of planning such a large project, the last few garden seasons for the Crowley Station Community Garden have also experienced uncertainty. Now, with construction of the Lakefront Porch Park well underway and the generous gift of new garden beds, the beginning of the 2024 CSCG garden season seems to be in sight!

As usual, there are more households on the waitlist than there are garden beds at CSCG! We are delighted at the interest in CSCG, and we urge anyone with the desire to garden to sign up for the waitlist for the other (larger) community gardens in Madison. There are also opportunities for “dirt therapy” with the wonderful volunteers of Blair Street Gardens.

Within the next month or so, we plan to recruit a few more gardeners from the waitlist. We will post information on the website when all garden beds have been filled for the season.

crowleystationgarden Garden Information

Opportunities to Garden in Madison

The Crowley Station Community Garden (CSCG) is only one of dozens of community gardens in Dane County. Because CSCG has a small number of raised garden beds, the garden has a waitlist. We encourage residents of the First Settlement and other Capitol neighborhoods to join the waitlist at other gardens and to volunteer with the Blair Street Gardens.

The Gardens Network

The Gardens Network is a partnership of Rooted, UW-Madison Extension Dane County and the City of Madison. The website of The Gardens Network provides a map of local community gardens and a profile of each. (See the link below.) The gardens vary in size, requirements, and locations. Look for the garden that fits you best at danegardens.net.

Blair Street Gardens

If you are interested in growing more than vegetables, join a group of neighborhood gardeners at Blair Street Gardens. These volunteers have been beautifying the Isthmus since 1985, blairstreetgardens.org

Community Gardens Map