The proliferation of new community gardens in Dakota County makes it easier to find a place to dig in the dirt, but most require early signup in order to secure a plot.

Shellie Krouse, administrative assistant for the city of Burnsville, said plots in the city's Garden Neill Park Garden and the new Wolk Garden have already filled. "We're going to be crunched trying to accommodate what we have already," she said.

Valley Natural Foods in Burnsville started a new co-op garden last year, and they also have a wait list, said Community Relations Developer Gary Johnson. However, Johnson and other members of Homegrown South, a new south-metro initiative, are organizing the first "Community Food Day," which offers a chance to sign up for community garden spots at other locations. During the event, on March 10 at Echo Park Elementary School in Burnsville, visitors also can take part in a community dialogue about local food production and access information about Master Gardener programs and CSAs.

"We're trying to make it a bigger program than going somewhere to sign up for a garden," he said. "I think it's critical that people will have the opportunity to learn more."

People can also find available plots through Gardening Matters. The nonprofit organization, which recently worked with the Dakota County Public Health Department to start a number of community gardens in the south metro, offers an online directory and map of gardens. It also takes online requests from individuals to connect with gardens, and executive director Kirsten Saylor said it is currently in the midst of processing requests.

"The interest in community gardens has exploded in the last three years, and it doesn't seem like it will ebb at all."

One spot on the Gardening Matters map, the Dodge Nature Center in West St. Paul, has rented plots through its Family Garden Program since the '60s. Farm director Don Oberdorfer said use of its garden space has increased from about 25 renters in early years. It now consistently rents out all 40 available plots every year.

"It seems to be the thing these days," Oberdorfer said. "It's something to do with your kids. It gets you outside. With kids, it's a nurturing thing. It's not instant gratification. It's a good lesson in a computer game era."

Oberdorfer said the spots usually fill up by the beginning of April. Members can rent 15-foot-square plots and take classes on organic farming methods, and the center does the plowing, marks out the plots and provides tools, fertilizer and straw mulch.

Last year was the first for the Partnership Community Garden at the School of Environmental Studies in Apple Valley. Pat Schoenecker, managing director of Growing Community, the garden's parent organization, said the garden still has five open spots. She said it was a productive first year for the garden, which focuses on sustainable practices, such as interplanting and attracting beneficial insects for pest control.

"We have people who are really skilled and passionate about gardening," she said.

In addition to farming their own sections of the gardens, members helped grow shared crops and shared watering responsibilities, irrigating gardens with nutrient-rich water from a nearby pond. This year, they will try planting ancient grains such as amaranth and quinoa and some perennial crops like hardy kiwi.

Seasoned gardeners also share expertise with new gardeners during monthly meetings and evening sessions.

Liz Rolfsmeier is a Minneapolis freelance writer.