lease note that the private entities listed have not been vetted and verified by the Gardens Network, and are offered here for informational purposes only.
Wood chips are provided and delivered for free by the City of Madison to gardens on City Land
Depending on the location of your garden (Eastside or Westside), wood chip requests are made through the Streets Department via email (West) or by phone (East). In general Park Street is the dividing line between east and west. Example: Brittingham Park is in Streets East; Marlborough is Streets West.
Streets East: 608-246-4532 (call 8am-3pm week days)
Streets West: email woodchip request to CJPowell@cityofmadison.com and GDwyer@cityofmadison.com.
Contact: evan@urbantreemgmt.com, 608-609-1005, or visit their website.
Go to getchipdrop.com to request drop offs from local tree services. You will have to sign up or login to make requests.
Prices updated Spring 2021
Bruce Company
Bruce Company sells compost for $61 per cubic yard, including delivery. Order by calling landscaping at 608-836-0349.
Circle B offers compost to community & school gardens at a reduced rate; $40/cubic yard. Delivery rates vary from $35.00-$50.00 depending on location. They can deliver 2-10 yards of finished compost, and also sell 50-50 mix of soil and compost at a simlar price, which would be better for raised beds or buidling new topsoil. To place an order, call (608) 846-9200 and tell them you are from a community garden. You can also visit their website http://circlebonline.com/residential/topsoil-compost/ to make purchasing arrangements.
Purple Cow Organics offers bulk organic compost (25 cubic yards minimum) to community gardens at $32.50. Please contact Steve Stumbras for detailed information: (608) 332-7047. Smaller quantities at retail pricing can be delivered by Pat Ferrell: (608) 576-7364. Local landscaping companies may have additional options. http://www.purplecoworganics.com/gardeners/contact-us/
West Madison Ag Research Station
West Madison Ag Research Station produces leaf/manure compost each season which is available for sale (by delivery only) at $70/cubic yard plus delivery fee of $2.16/mile round-trip. See here for more information and call 829-1162 to arrange delivery.
Craig Ripp
Sells 30 lb boxes of screened composted manure for $10. Available to deliver orders of 10 boxes or more. Contact at 608-772-7298 or cripp33@icloud.com.
Gardens may want to look at how they can increase in-garden composting initiatives to help build necessary soil nutrients. Dane County UW Extension Horticulture staff or their trained Master Gardener Volunteers may be available for workshops on composting to hold at your garden. Learn more and contact them at http://dane.uwex.edu/horticulture/.
Keleny Top Soil is a landscaping company that principally offers top soil, but also delivers compost and other garden supplies. They can be contacted at 608-833-4835 or through the contact form on their website.
Yelk Hay Supply: 608-712-6258 call or text or email yelkfam@gmail.com. Delivered marsh hay for $4.50/bale & $25 delivery fee. Have options to deliver small loads up to large loads of a few hundred. Please give about 2 days notice to deliver; evenings & weekends preferred but daytime possible.
John Becker: 608 – 843 – 8355, delivers bales of marsh hay to locations in Dane County. $4/bale.
Dennis Chadwick, marsh hay: contact for prices and delivery information at 608-220-1831.
Any community garden can request a free delivery of lake weeds to use as a soil amendment through the Dane County Public Works – Lake Management Division. Call 246-3897 a few days in advance during late May until late August to request a load. Weeds are delivered by the truckload (6-8 cubic yards) and the trucks must be able to access the garden to deliver. Occasionally, less than full loads are available for delivery. NOTE: To avoid anaerobic decomposition (and complaints from neighbors), it is imperative to spread weeds right away.
You can order native plants through Plant Dane. Visit www.ripple-effects.com/plantdane for more information on placing order. There are 50+ native species; most plants are $2.00 each and all species must be ordered in multiples of four. Order deadline for this year is March 31st, 2017. Plants will be available for pick up on Saturday, June 3rd, 2017 at Dane County Land and Water Resources Building – 5201 Fen Oak Dr., Madison, WI 53719.
Gardens can call the following people to come to their garden and till plots or the entire garden. You will have to pay them directly. Usually they have a minimum charge (typically about two hours) so it pays to organize this among your fellow gardeners if only some plots need to be tilled, but not the entire garden.
For routine water issues about an existing hydrant or hookup issues (e.g. minor leaks, end of season request for removal of hookup) call: Amy Jones, Water Utility Operations Clerk, at 608 -266-4647 or email ajones@madisonwater.org For major large leaks and problems, call the Water Utility’s 24/7 emergency number (608) 266-4661. If your garden is in a City of Madison park, please call Eric Knepp at 608-266-4711 to arrange to have the water turned on.
We reccomend testing any new gardens for potential contaminants – see here for more information:
Soil Contaminants in Community Gardens
The UW Soil Department’s Analysis Lab is the closest state soil testing location. A standard soil analysis costs $15 per sample, with lead screening for an additional $15. https://uwlab.soils.wisc.edu/farmers/lawn-garden/
Contact the City Clerk’s office (266-4601) or utilize the Community Garden Leadership Forum for recommendations.
The Gardens Network 