The Garden at 485 Elm

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.

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

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

• Community garden plots
• Urban gardening services
• Community composting
• Organic gardening education
• Sustainable agriculture workshops

Headquarters

HQ city

Montpelier

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core 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.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Vermont Community Garden Network (VCGN)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Partnered with VCGN in building Compostville from 2017 to 2019 with grant support. VCGN is part of the Vermont Gardens network.
• Composting Association of VermontcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered 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 HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPresented 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 TeamcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity of Vermont student volunteers who provide seasonal service days. Students help with garden tasks including composting, weeding, harvesting, and general garden maintenance.
• Biochar CoalitionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKen Scherer from the Biochar Coalition conducted a flame-top kiln demonstration at the garden during the Vermont Organics Recycling Summit.
• Carriff Engineered FabricsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJack Eaton from Carriff Engineered Fabrics demonstrated biodegradable compost filter socks filled with biochar-enriched media during the VORS event.
• Pinetree Garden SeedscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFamily business in Maine founded in 1979 that provided a generous seed donation to support the garden's planting season.
• Red Wagon PlantsminorOthersLocal nursery source for tomatillo seedlings and other plants.
• Guy's Farm & Yard (Montpelier)minorOthersLocal farm and yard supply store in Montpelier where the garden purchases seedlings including tomatillos.
• Cate FarmminorOthersSource of seedlings including basil, cherry tomatoes, and chili peppers. Onions and shallots are also sourced from Cate Farm.
• UVM Extension Master Gardener ProgramminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity of Vermont Extension program providing Master Gardener support and education to the garden.
• Fontaine SawmillminorOthersLocal sawmill that provides untreated hemlock boards for building and rebuilding raised beds. Hemlock is sturdy and weathers well over many seasons.
• East Hill Tree FarmminorOthersSource of currant and raspberry bushes for the garden's Berryville project.
• City of Montpelier Public Works DepartmentminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides bagged leaves and other garden materials. Dropped off leaves used for mulch and winter protection.
• USDA/NRCSminorOthersPartner organization supporting sustainable agriculture and conservation practices.
• Central Vermont Solid Waste Management DistrictminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Compostville project, part of community composting initiatives.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad 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

• Facebookfacebook.com/thegardenat485elm
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-garden-at-485-elm

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&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