The Garden at 485 Elm
The Garden at 485 Elm is a nonprofit collaborative community garden in Montpelier, Vermont, serving roughly 20 local households per season with shared raised beds, a community composting system, and educational programming on sustainable gardening, funded by donations and grants.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersMontpelier, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What The Garden at 485 Elm does
The Garden at 485 Elm is a private nonprofit community garden (The Garden at 485 Elm Inc.) located at 485 Elm Street in Montpelier, Vermont, established in 2014 when the site's lawn was converted into garden beds. It serves approximately 20 local households per season who collectively grow vegetables, herbs, and flowers on shared raised beds (constructed with untreated hemlock from Fontaine Sawmill), in-ground plots, and supporting infrastructure that includes a drip-irrigation system and the Compostville community composting facility built between 2017 and 2019 with Vermont Community Garden Network and other partners.
The garden's technical and operational stack is horticultural rather than digital: organic and sustainable practices anchored by Integrated Pest Management, drip irrigation, a multi-bin community composting system with a Jora tumbler, and biochar production using a flame-cap kiln method demonstrated with the Biochar Coalition during the Vermont Organics Recycling Summit. It has expanded into perennial fruit (currants and raspberries via East Hill Tree Farm's Berryville project) and added four new raised beds in late 2025. Educational programming — including Tick Talk workshops with the Vermont Department of Health and UVM TREK Farm and Food Team service days — extends the garden's role beyond food production into community health, volunteer pipelines, and demonstration of sustainable practices.
The organization has no commercial revenue model: it charges no membership fees and operates on donations via PayPal (charity ID 4858721) and grant funding administered through partners such as the New England Grassroots Environment Fund. Customer engagement is purely volunteer-driven and channeled through a WordPress blog with photo documentation, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and an RSS feed. All activity is confined to a single site in Montpelier, Vermont, making the entity a hyper-local community asset rather than a scalable enterprise.
The Garden at 485 Elm firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Garden at 485 Elm
- Legal name
- The Garden at 485 Elm Inc.
- Website
- https://thegardenat485elm.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- The Garden at 485 Elm is a nonprofit collaborative community garden in Montpelier, Vermont, serving roughly 20 local households per season with shared raised beds, a community composting system, and educational programming on sustainable gardening, funded by donations and grants.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Garden at 485 Elm industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Community Gardening Services
- NAICS
- Landscaping Services (56173), Greenhouse, Nursery, and Floriculture Production (1114), Compost Manufacturing (325315)
- SIC
- Agricultural Services (700)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Soil Preparation, Composting & Amendment Services (HSAIAFAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Raised Garden Beds & Planter Box Installation (HSAIAFAK), Garden Cleanups & Debris Removal (Bed-focused) (HSAIAFAJ), Lawn Nutrition & Biostimulants (Compost Tea, Humic/Fulvic, Microbes) (HSAIAGAF), Compost Product Distribution, Retail & Landscape Supply (Bulk/Bagged) (BPALAEAI)
Keywords
Where The Garden at 485 Elm is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Montpelier
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
The Garden at 485 Elm business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Others
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels5 records
The Garden at 485 Elm product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Garden at 485 Elm provides physical community garden plots (raised beds and in-ground beds) to approximately 20 households per season in Montpelier, Vermont, where members collaboratively grow vegetables, herbs, and flowers. The garden also operates Compostville, a community composting system, runs educational workshops (e.g., tick-borne disease prevention, biochar demonstrations), and shares harvested crops among registered gardeners.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Community Garden Plots Seasonal access to raised bed and in-ground community garden plots at 485 Elm, Montpelier, Vermont, where approximately 20 households per season collaboratively grow vegetables, herbs, and flowers and divide the harvest into shares. Includes use of shared infrastructure (drip irrigation, tools, Compostville composting area) for hobbyist and community gardeners in the Montpelier area.
- Compostville Community Composting Service Small-scale community composting service that turns garden waste and food scraps from participating gardeners into nutrient-rich compost using multiple bins and a Jora tumbler. Serves members of the garden community and supports on-site soil health.
- Biochar Production and Demonstration Program Educational program that produces high-quality biochar via flame-cap kiln methods and demonstrates its use in biodegradable compost filter socks (in partnership with the Biochar Coalition and Carriff Engineered Fabrics) for soil health improvement, water retention, and nutrient cycling. Offered to workshop attendees and community partners.
- Garden-Based Educational Workshops Free educational workshops for community members covering tick-borne disease prevention (with the Vermont Department of Health), organic gardening practices, integrated pest management, composting, and seed saving. Designed for local residents, UVM students, Master Gardeners, and partner organization affiliates.
Companies that use The Garden at 485 Elm
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles2 records
The Garden at 485 Elm technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
The Garden at 485 Elm partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Vermont Community Garden Network (VCGN)corePartnered with VCGN in building Compostville from 2017 to 2019 with grant support. VCGN is part of the Vermont Gardens network.
- Composting Association of VermontcorePartnered in building the Compostville system. The Composting Association of Vermont also brought the Vermont Organics Recycling Summit activities to the garden, including biochar demonstrations and composting education.
- Vermont Department of HealthcorePresented educational Tick Talk workshops on tick-borne disease prevention. Tanya Crawford-Stempel, RN, MSN, Public Health Nurse Supervisor, conducted presentations at the garden.
- UVM TREK Farm and Food TeamcoreUniversity of Vermont student volunteers who provide seasonal service days. Students help with garden tasks including composting, weeding, harvesting, and general garden maintenance.
- Biochar CoalitionminorKen Scherer from the Biochar Coalition conducted a flame-top kiln demonstration at the garden during the Vermont Organics Recycling Summit.
- Carriff Engineered FabricsminorJack Eaton from Carriff Engineered Fabrics demonstrated biodegradable compost filter socks filled with biochar-enriched media during the VORS event.
- Pinetree Garden SeedscoreFamily business in Maine founded in 1979 that provided a generous seed donation to support the garden's planting season.
- Red Wagon PlantsminorLocal nursery source for tomatillo seedlings and other plants.
- Guy's Farm & Yard (Montpelier)minorLocal farm and yard supply store in Montpelier where the garden purchases seedlings including tomatillos.
- Cate FarmminorSource of seedlings including basil, cherry tomatoes, and chili peppers. Onions and shallots are also sourced from Cate Farm.
- UVM Extension Master Gardener ProgramminorUniversity of Vermont Extension program providing Master Gardener support and education to the garden.
- Fontaine SawmillminorLocal sawmill that provides untreated hemlock boards for building and rebuilding raised beds. Hemlock is sturdy and weathers well over many seasons.
- East Hill Tree FarmminorSource of currant and raspberry bushes for the garden's Berryville project.
- City of Montpelier Public Works DepartmentminorProvides bagged leaves and other garden materials. Dropped off leaves used for mulch and winter protection.
- USDA/NRCSminorPartner organization supporting sustainable agriculture and conservation practices.
- Central Vermont Solid Waste Management DistrictminorPartner in the Compostville project, part of community composting initiatives.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights5 records
The Garden at 485 Elm competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Vermont Community Garden Network: A statewide network that supports and connects community and school gardens across Vermont. The Garden at 485 Elm is an active partner/network member; VCGN serves as the broader umbrella organizing similar gardens and grant-funded composting initiatives like Compostville.
- GrowNYC: A New York City nonprofit running community gardens, farmers markets, and school gardens across the five boroughs. Comparable community-garden programming at much larger scale, providing a reference point for how a single-site community garden model can be scaled to a citywide network.
Direct peers
- Capital Roots: A Troy, New York nonprofit that operates community gardens, urban farms, and food-access programs in the greater Capital Region. Comparable as a regional nonprofit running multiple community garden sites with volunteer labor, educational programming, and donation-based funding.
- Burlington Intervale Center: A Burlington, Vermont nonprofit that runs community farms, gardens, and food programs on conserved land along the Winooski River. Highly comparable as a Vermont-based collaborative urban-agriculture nonprofit serving local growers with shared infrastructure and educational programming.
- Greensgrow: A Philadelphia urban farm and garden center operating on a former industrial site, running a CSA, community garden plots, and sustainability programming. Comparable in operating a community-growing space on repurposed land with educational workshops and partnership-driven programming.
- Garden City Harvest: A Missoula, Montana nonprofit that operates multiple community gardens, urban farms, and a community compost program. Directly comparable operating model: community garden plots, volunteer-driven stewardship, and partnership-based programming around composting and food education.
Others
- Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont (NOFA-VT): Vermont's chapter of the regional organic farming association, providing education, certification, and advocacy for organic agriculture. Comparable as a Vermont-based ecosystem organization supporting sustainable growing practices, with overlapping audience of gardeners and small farmers.
- Composting Association of Vermont: A Vermont nonprofit advancing composting and organics recycling through education, including the Vermont Organics Recycling Summit held at the Garden at 485 Elm. Directly comparable mission area around community-scale composting and soil amendment, and a current strategic partner of the garden.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
The Garden at 485 Elm social profiles
Digital presenceThe Garden at 485 Elm financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Garden at 485 Elm leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
The Garden at 485 Elm funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Garden at 485 Elm 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 The Garden at 485 Elm
What does The Garden at 485 Elm do?
The Garden at 485 Elm provides physical community garden plots (raised beds and in-ground beds) to approximately 20 households per season in Montpelier, Vermont, where members collaboratively grow vegetables, herbs, and flowers. The garden also operates Compostville, a community composting system, runs educational workshops (e.g., tick-borne disease prevention, biochar demonstrations), and shares harvested crops among registered gardeners.
Is The Garden at 485 Elm a public or private company?
The Garden at 485 Elm is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was The Garden at 485 Elm founded?
The Garden at 485 Elm was founded in 2014. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is The Garden at 485 Elm based?
The Garden at 485 Elm is headquartered in Montpelier, United States, in the North America region.
Who are The Garden at 485 Elm's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Vermont Community Garden Network and GrowNYC. Direct peers are Capital Roots, Burlington Intervale Center, Greensgrow and Garden City Harvest. Others are Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont (NOFA-VT) and Composting Association of Vermont.
Does The Garden at 485 Elm have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Garden at 485 Elm.
What industry is The Garden at 485 Elm in?
The Garden at 485 Elm's product category is Community Gardening Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HSAIAFAD, Soil Preparation, Composting & Amendment Services, with a secondary code of HSAIAFAK, Raised Garden Beds & Planter Box Installation. Its NAICS code is 56173 and its SIC code is 700.