Vermont Garden Network
Vermont Garden Network is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that educates, supports, and connects community and school gardeners across Vermont through collective gardens, the Greenhouse at Landry Park, workshops, grant programs, and partnerships serving individual gardeners, New American families, schools, and underserved communities.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2001
- HeadquartersBurlington, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Vermont Garden Network does
Vermont Garden Network (VGN) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in Essex Junction, Vermont, that educates, supports, and connects community and school gardeners across the state. Founded in 2001 as Friends of Burlington Gardens and rebranded in 2013, the organization operates three collective gardens (Seedsong, Starr Farm, and Family Room) engaging 40+ gardeners per season and manages the Greenhouse at Landry Park in Winooski, which produces over 6,000 plants annually. Core programs include the Collective Gardening Program, Greenhouse at Landry Park, the Thriving Gardens Course, the Garden Like a Farmer workshop series, a statewide Garden Directory, mini-grant administration (over $90,000 awarded since 2006), and partnership programs with the Janet S. Munt Family Room and New Farms for New Americans for refugee and migrant farmer support. The technology stack is modest: a WordPress-based website, monthly email newsletter, Instagram presence (@vt.gardens), and an interactive garden directory map; there is no proprietary software or digital platform product.
The organization is funded through a diversified mix of foundation grants (Forrest C and Frances H Lattner Foundation, Jane B Cook 1992 Charitable Trust, Serena Foundation, Vermont Community Foundation, Vermont Foodbank, SNAP-Ed, Whole Kids Foundation, SARE, USDA, City of Burlington Conservation Legacy Fund), individual donations including a Perennial Club monthly giving program and planned giving, corporate sponsorships (Gardener's Supply, Skinny Pancake), membership fees ($600 per 7-month collective garden season with payment plans and reduced-fee scholarships), workshop fees (mostly free; $75 for select intensives), and a designated Frank Way Memorial Scholarship Fund. VGN is a 1% for the Planet nonprofit partner. The go-to-market model is community-led growth: 25 years of statewide presence, word-of-mouth, partner referrals across 40+ organizations, workshops at garden sites, earned media in Vermont outlets, and direct community engagement.
The organization is led by two Co-Executive Directors — T Hanson (Philanthropy & Communications, joined January 2024) and Carolina Lukac (Programs & Partnerships, joined February 2015 and promoted to Co-ED in October 2023) — supported by a Garden Program Manager, Garden Educator, Greenhouse Manager, and Summer Garden Apprentice. A Board of Directors (President Jenna O'Donnell, Vice President Christen Meyer, Treasurer Caroline Aubry, Secretary Emily Pichler, and members Jessica Metcalfe and Lena Molinari) provides governance. VGN serves multiple customer segments: individual gardeners and community members, garden leaders and educators, New American and migrant families, schools and youth programs, and underserved/low-income communities. The geographic footprint is strictly Vermont (USA), with no global operations.
Vermont Garden Network firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Vermont Garden Network
- Legal name
- Vermont Garden Network
- Website
- https://vtgardens.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2001
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Vermont Garden Network is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that educates, supports, and connects community and school gardeners across Vermont through collective gardens, the Greenhouse at Landry Park, workshops, grant programs, and partnerships serving individual gardeners, New American families, schools, and underserved communities.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Vermont Garden Network industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Community Garden Education and Support Services
- NAICS
- Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Landscaping Services (561730), Greenhouse, Nursery, and Floriculture Production (1114), Support Activities for Crop Production (11511)
- SIC
- Agricultural Services (700), Services-Social Services (8300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Seasonal Color, Planting & Horticultural Services (BPABADAL)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Seasonal Color & Flower Rotation (Spring/Fall Plantings) (HSAIAFAE)
Keywords
Where Vermont Garden Network is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Burlington
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Vermont Garden Network business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Individual Donations: Direct donations from individual supporters, including one-time and recurring gifts, with the Perennial Club monthly giving program.
- Foundation and Corporate Grants: Major funding from foundations including Forrest C and Frances H Lattner Foundation, Jane B Cook 1992 Charitable Trust, Serena Foundation, Vermont Community Foundation, Vermont Foodbank, Vermont Department of Health SNAP-ed, and Whole Kids Foundation.
- Membership Fees: Collective garden membership at $600 for a 7-month season, with payment plans available ($150 deposit plus monthly installments).
- Workshop Fees: Some workshops offered free while others charge fees (e.g., $75 for 3-session intensive seed saving course).
- Corporate Sponsorships: Business sponsorships from companies like Gardener's Supply, The Skinny Pancake, and others supporting events and programs.
- Planned Giving: Legacy giving opportunities for long-term donor support.
- Frank Way Memorial Scholarship Fund: Designated contributions supporting students in the Community Teaching Garden program.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Full Collective Garden Membership - $600 for 7-month season |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Reduced Fee Membership |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Seed Saving for Small-Scale Growers - $75 for 3 sessions |
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Free Workshops |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels8 records
Vermont Garden Network product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Vermont Garden Network educates, supports, and connects gardeners across Vermont by managing three collective garden sites (Seedsong, Starr Farm, and Family Room) where members grow food together, operating the teaching Greenhouse at Landry Park in Winooski for seed starting and workshops, running the Thriving Gardens Course and a year-round workshop series, administering mini-grants for community and school gardens, and providing an online Organizer Toolkit and Garden Directory for garden leaders statewide. Core services are delivered at garden sites and through community partnerships, targeting individual community gardeners, schools, refugee and migrant families, and underserved low-income Vermonters.
Product overview
Vermont Garden Network is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization offering community and school gardening education, support, and resources across Vermont. Its core programs include the Collective Gardening Program (managing Seedsong, Starr Farm, and Family Room collective gardens with 40+ members), the Greenhouse at Landry Park (a teaching greenhouse providing seed starting and educational workshops), Workshop Series (Garden Like a Farmer and Greenhouse events covering topics from seed saving to cover cropping), the Thriving Gardens Course (comprehensive garden training), Garden Resources/Organizer Toolkit (online guidance for garden leaders), the Garden Directory (interactive statewide garden map), Grant Programs (awarding funds to community and school gardens), and Partnership Programs with Family Room and New Farms for New Americans. These programs work together to educate, support, and connect Vermont gardeners while promoting food security and food justice.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Collective Gardening Program A communal growing program where members work the land together at Seedsong, Starr Farm, and Family Room collective gardens, sharing planting, tending, and harvesting duties. VGN serves 40+ gardeners with weekly mentorship, tools, materials, growing space, and a share of the harvest during the 7-month season.
- Greenhouse at Landry Park A teaching greenhouse facility in Winooski operated in partnership with City of Winooski Recreation & Parks, providing seed starting for 6,000+ plants annually including culturally meaningful crops, plus educational workshops on season extension, seed saving, and climate resiliency practices.
- Workshop Series (Garden Like a Farmer and Greenhouse Events) Monthly garden workshops from March through October at Burlington community garden sites and the Greenhouse at Landry Park, covering succession sowing, seed saving, cover cropping, perennial cultivation, garlic planting, and other seasonal topics. Most workshops are free, with paid 3-session intensives at $75.
- Thriving Gardens Course A comprehensive garden training program at the Ethan Allen Homestead that teaches beginning adult gardeners organic food production from planting through harvest, covering soil remediation, cover crop rotation planning, and garden-scale food production.
- Garden Resources and Organizer Toolkit An online resource hub for garden leaders providing guidance on starting community gardens, community organizing, grant opportunities, how-to gardening tips, education resources, composting, and toolshed tips for garden coordinators.
- Garden Directory An interactive statewide map-based directory connecting Vermonters with community gardens, education/demonstration gardens, and school gardens to volunteer, find plots, or connect with local growers.
- Garden Grant Programs Mini-grant programs including Gardens for Learning, Green Thumbs at Work, and Compost Grants administered by VGN to support garden projects statewide, with over $90,000 awarded to 260+ community, school, and neighborhood garden projects.
- Partnership Programs Partnerships with the Janet S. Munt Family Room for refugee and migrant family garden programming (20+ year partnership) and with New Farms for New Americans providing USDA-funded farmer-to-farmer training on season extension, climate-resilient practices, and culturally meaningful crop cultivation.
Quantifiable outcome
- Hundreds of gardens started and sustained statewide since 2001
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Vermont Garden Network
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Vermont Garden Network technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Vermont Garden Network partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
22 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- 1% for the PlanetminorVGN is a 1% for the Planet nonprofit partner, allowing member companies to direct donations to VGN through the program.
- Janet S. Munt Family RoomcoreThe Family Room Collective Garden is a partnership where caregivers, children and Family Room staff visit the garden twice a week during growing season to participate in growing culturally meaningful crops, share a meal and play. Partnership has continued for over 20 years.
- New Farms for New Americans (NFNA)coreEducational partner on two 3-year USDA-funded grants (2021-2023 and 2024-2026) implementing farmer-to-farmer training program. VGN designed advanced garden curriculum and manages demonstration plots for no-till agriculture, seed saving, and climate smart practices.
- City of WinooskicorePartnership to relocate and operate the Greenhouse at Landry Park. City of Winooski provides land and is working to connect electricity and install propane for the greenhouse.
- Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & MarketsminorVAAFM runs the state's Farm to School Grant Program, which has involved VGN as a support for Farm to School Grantees since 2017.
- UVM Extension Master Gardener ProgramminorVGN partners with UVM's statewide Extension Master Gardener program for volunteer training and garden helpline support.
- University of Vermont Medical CenterminorVGN developed Gardens for Health program curriculum to teach people how to grow food and change health habits including physical activity, healthy eating and mindfulness.
- Champlain Housing TrustminorVGN coordinated garden education programs at affordable housing sites managed by CHT from 2019-2025.
- Intervale CenterminorPartnership for Garden Like a Farmer workshop series and strengthening community food systems in Burlington.
- NOFA VT (Northeast Organic Farming Association)minorNOFA VT promotes organic practices to build an economically viable, ecologically sound and socially just Vermont agricultural system.
- Vermont FEED (Food Education Every Day)minorVermont FEED provides online resources, teacher professional development, and a New England-wide Farm to School Institute for school teams.
- Winooski Valley Parks DistrictminorThe Ethan Allen Homestead, hosted by Winooski Valley Parks District, is the site of VGN's Thriving Gardens course teaching garden.
- American Community Gardening AssociationminorNational connection to the community garden movement through ACGA membership and resources.
- Burlington Area Community Gardens (BACG)minorBACG provides community garden sites and programs that are accessible, safe and healthy for people of diverse ages, experiences, backgrounds and abilities. VGN accesses land through BACG for collective gardens.
- Skinny PancakeminorPartnered on collective gardening trainings and formation of Seedsong through their Shift Meals initiative. Served as sponsor for Greenhouse Grand Opening.
- Shelburne FarmsminorShelburne Farms offered Seedsong Collective Garden members the opportunity to work at their Market Garden after the July 2023 flood, providing garden space and harvest in exchange for work.
- Vine RipeminorContractors who helped relocate and reskin the greenhouse from O'Brien Center to Landry Park.
- Gardener's Supply CompanyminorSponsor for Greenhouse Grand Opening and ongoing product donations for garden programming.
- Institute for AgroecologyminorPartnering on Garden Like a Farmer workshop series and other UVM research and community-based projects.
- Vermont Farm to School NetworkminorVGN is a key resource for school gardens as part of the Vermont Farm to School Network.
- Vermont Farm to Plate NetworkminorVGN has been a part of the Vermont Farm to Plate Network since its early years.
- Hunger Free VermontminorVGN is an active member of the Hunger Council of Chittenden County.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Vermont Garden Network competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Big Green (formerly The Kitchen Community): National nonprofit building learning gardens in schools with hub-and-spoke support model, similar to VGN's approach but at national scale.
- FoodCorps: National nonprofit connecting kids to healthy food in schools through garden education, with similar school-garden programming and federal grant funding model.
- GrowNYC: New York City-based nonprofit running community gardens, school gardens, and farmers markets; similar urban/suburban community gardening support model at larger scale.
Regional players
- NOFA-VT (Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont): Vermont-based nonprofit promoting organic and sustainable agriculture; VGN is a partner, and both serve the Vermont food-system community with overlapping constituencies.
- Hunger Free Vermont: Vermont nonprofit addressing food insecurity; VGN serves on the Hunger Council of Chittenden County and collaborates on food access initiatives.
- Intervale Center: Burlington-based nonprofit strengthening community food systems; VGN partners with Intervale for workshops and shares the Burlington local-food ecosystem.
- Common Roots (Vermont): South Burlington-based nonprofit focused on food, farm, and education programs; shares Vermont geography and food-system mission with VGN.
- Vermont FEED (Food Education Every Day): Vermont Farm to School nonprofit offering teacher professional development and curriculum; VGN partners as a school-garden resource within this network.
Broad incumbents
- American Community Gardening Association: National membership organization supporting community gardening across the U.S. VGN partners with ACGA and operates as a state-level affiliate with similar community-garden-support mission.
Others
- New England Grassroots Environment Fund: Regional funder and trainer for grassroots environmental groups; VGN lists this as a financial partner, making it a comparable funder/ecosystem organization.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Vermont Garden Network social profiles
Digital presenceVermont Garden Network financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Vermont Garden Network leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles12 records
Vermont Garden Network funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Vermont Garden Network M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Vermont Garden Network
What does Vermont Garden Network do?
Vermont Garden Network educates, supports, and connects gardeners across Vermont by managing three collective garden sites (Seedsong, Starr Farm, and Family Room) where members grow food together, operating the teaching Greenhouse at Landry Park in Winooski for seed starting and workshops, running the Thriving Gardens Course and a year-round workshop series, administering mini-grants for community and school gardens, and providing an online Organizer Toolkit and Garden Directory for garden leaders statewide. Core services are delivered at garden sites and through community partnerships, targeting individual community gardeners, schools, refugee and migrant families, and underserved low-income Vermonters.
Is Vermont Garden Network a public or private company?
Vermont Garden Network is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Vermont Garden Network founded?
Vermont Garden Network was founded in 2001. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Vermont Garden Network based?
Vermont Garden Network is headquartered in Burlington, United States, in the North America region.
How does Vermont Garden Network make money?
Seven revenue lines are on record. Individual Donations are the primary driver. The others are foundation and Corporate Grants, membership Fees, workshop Fees, corporate Sponsorships, planned Giving and frank Way Memorial Scholarship Fund.
Who are Vermont Garden Network's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Big Green (formerly The Kitchen Community), FoodCorps and GrowNYC. Regional players are NOFA-VT (Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont), Hunger Free Vermont, Intervale Center, Common Roots (Vermont) and Vermont FEED (Food Education Every Day). American Community Gardening Association is listed as a broad incumbent. New England Grassroots Environment Fund is listed as an others.
Does Vermont Garden Network have an API?
No public API is recorded for Vermont Garden Network.
What industry is Vermont Garden Network in?
Vermont Garden Network's product category is Community Garden Education and Support Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPABADAL, Seasonal Color, Planting & Horticultural Services, with a secondary code of HSAIAFAE, Seasonal Color & Flower Rotation (Spring/Fall Plantings). Its NAICS code is 81321 and its SIC code is 700.