The Urban Ecology Center has a variety of gardening tools available at all three of our branch locations for members to use, including shovels, rakes, pitch forks, wheelbarrows, hand tools, tree lopers, augers, hand saws and more! Gardening tools can be borrowed for up to three days like other equipment. There are times when we won’t be able to loan certain tools (like wheelbarrows) because our staff and volunteers will be using them for land stewardship activities in our parks, so it may be best to call ahead and find out if we have any big projects going on over a weekend before you come.
Frequently Asked Questions about Garden Tools
I’m leading a group service day at my kid’s school on Earth Day and would like to borrow several shovels, wheelbarrows, etc. Can I borrow a lot of tools if I’m a member?
We strive to help our community, and we love to see others doing the same! There’s a special place in our heart for people who organize tree plantings, gardening days and other ecologically minded service projects. We will try to meet this request when we can, but unfortunately we are not always able to. Projects often fall on weekends in the spring -- precisely when we are doing our own projects at the Urban Ecology Center and need the equipment ourselves! Earth Day is an especially bad time for us to be without our tools. If you have a need for a large number of tools for a project, contact our Visitor Services Specialists, so that we can check our stewardship schedule and see if we can meet this request. Another option: consider doing your service project at the Urban Ecology Center!
Margaret Siebers (Riverside Park) This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Jackie González (Menomonee Valley) This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Erin Ganzke (Washington Park) This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Do you have a Rototiller I could borrow?
Unfortunately, none of our powered equipment used for land stewardship activities is available for members to borrow. These kinds of equipment are best rented from a garden center or hardware store. We do have soil turners and other manual tools for you to borrow if you want!
I've always wanted to learn more about native plants, can you teach me?
Come volunteer with us! We have several different opportunities to volunteer at the Urban Ecology Center with our land stewardship team. This is a great way to learn about native flowers, invasive species, seed collecting, stratification, planting techniques and more. Learn more about volunteering opportunities here.
