![Chris Harms examines a tomato in the garden. He checks each plant in his gardens every day. ] ALEX KORMANN ¥ alex.kormann@startribune.com Chris Harms had the idea for Giving Gardens about a year ago. The concept was to offer local businesses the opportunity to grow fresh produce in a small store side garden with the hope of promoting healthy and sustainable food for the community. There are 200 giving gardens within a 5 mile radius of White Bear Lake, MN, where it all began. Indulge Salon and Sp](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/67672IWTMTWJIZVPGK7FKW2VUM.jpg?&w=1080)
This has been a year like no other. So in 2020, the Star Tribune's annual Beautiful Gardens contest will be different, too. We're seeking home gardens that are beautiful in spirit, with a purpose that goes beyond being an artful array of pretty plants.
Is there a garden or a gardener whose spirit you admire? Maybe it's a vegetable garden that helps stock a local food shelf. Maybe it's a teaching garden that shows neighborhood kids how to grow their own food, or a memory garden for a loved one, or a garden that sows community.
Any type of garden can be a winner, whether it's a tiny urban plot or a big country garden — as long as it's a home garden in Minnesota or western Wisconsin.
It's easy to nominate a special garden. Just send a brief description of the garden and what makes it beautiful in spirit, along with where it's located and who tends it. Please include a few snapshots. Send to: beautifulgardens@startribune.com, or Star Tribune — Beautiful Gardens, 650 3rd Av. S., Minneapolis, MN 55488.
A panel will choose several standouts, and the winning gardens and the gardeners who tend them will be showcased in Sunday Homes and online at startribune.com.
We'll accept nominations through July 12.
