Minnesota Gravel Bed Inventory List

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Public/Government

Take a look below to see the public/government gravel beds!

Non-Profit, Academic, and Commercial Gravel Beds

Look below for information on the non-profit, academic/research, and commercial/business gravel beds! 

City of Ada

Adagravelbed

Location: Public Works Building, 900 W Main St., Ada, MN 56510

Installation Year: 2016

Number of Beds: 1

Type of Bed: Uncontained

Medium: Pea stone

Primary Use: Municipal planting

City of Andover

Contact: Kameron Kytonen, Natural Resourses Technician, [email protected]

Location: Public Works Building, 1785 Crosstown Blvd NW, Andover MN 55304

Number of Beds: 1

Dimensions: 10' x 15'

Primary Use: Municipal planting

City of Arlington

Number of Beds: 1

Type of Bed: Above-ground

Dimensions: 23'x12'

Primary Use: Municipal planting

City of Bemidji

bemidjigravelbed

Contact: Jared Stull, Parks Superintendent, [email protected]

Location: Public Works Facility, 1351 5th St SW, Bemidji, MN 56601

Number of Beds: 1

Type of Bed: Above-ground

Medium: 70% pea stone / 30% sand

Irrigation: Drip line

Primary Use: Municipal planting

Stocking: 75 1.5" caliper trees

Stock: Trees

City of Bloomington

Contact: Dave Hanson, Assistant Maintenance Superintendent, [email protected]

Location: 6800 W 106th St, Bloomington, MN 55438

Installation Year: 2016

Number of Beds: 2

Bed 1

Type of Bed: Portable/traffic barrier

Medium: Gravel/sand mix

Dimensions: 25' x 55'

Irrigation: Timed sprinklers

Primary Use: Municipal planting

Stocking: 350 trees at 2' x 2'-3' spacing (species dependent)

Stock: Trees

Plant Out Time: Fall

Bed 2

Type of Bed: Portable/traffic barrier

Medium: Pea stone

Dimensions: 25' x 55'

Irrigation: Timed sprinklers

Primary Use: Municipal planting

Stocking: See Bed 1

Stock: Trees

Plant Out Time: Fall

Notes: Keep the hackberrys on an outer row. The pure pea gravel stays cleaner (less weeds/grass), and sand seems less necessary since moisture stays well in the field.

City of Crookston

Location: Highland School Nature Center, 801 Central Ave N, Crookston, MN 56716

City of Duluth

Contact: Don Keinholz, Park Maintenance

Location: Park Maintenance Facility, 110 N 42nd Ave W, Duluth, MN 55807

Installation Year: 2013

Number of Beds: 1

Type of Bed: Traditional

Medium: Pea stone

Dimensions: 40' x 50'

Irrigation: Timed soaker hose

Primary Use: Municipal planting

Stocking: 30 1" - 2" caliper trees at 4' on center spacing

Stock: Tree/shrub mix

Plant Out Time: Fall

Notes: Put in gravel in spring, water well and hold for summer, plant in fall. Utilize varieties that work and thrive in gravel bed systems.

City of Edina

Contact: Luther Overholt, Forester, [email protected]

Location: Fred Richards Park, 7640 Parklawn Ave, Edina, MN 55435

Installation Year: 2017

Number of Beds: 1

Type of Bed: Traditional

Medium: Pea stone

Dimensions: 10' x 20'

Irrigation: Lawn sprinkler on a timer, 4 times a day for 30 minutes

Primary Use: Municipal planting

Stocking: 150-200 seedlings at 6"- 12" on center spacing

Stock: Trees

Plant Out Time: Fall

Notes: Seedlings sourced from DNR. Gravel bed works really well!

City of Ely

elygravelbed

Contact: Val Nesteruk, Ely Tree Board Member, [email protected]

Location: Sibley Manor, 210 West White Street, Ely, MN 55731

Installation Year: 2013

Number of Beds: 1

Type of Bed: Traditional

Medium: Pea stone

Dimensions: 10' x 20'

Irrigation: Timed spray heads on hose

Primary Use: Municipal planting

Stocking: 25 1.25"-1.5" caliper trees at 2' on center spacing

Stock: Trees

Plant Out Time: Fall

Notes: Overall, it works great for us. Some species do better than others.

City of Hendricks

hendricksgravelbed

Location: Lake Park, Cottage Ave, Hendricks, MN 56136

Number of Beds: 1

Type of Bed: Traditional

City of Hibbing

hibbinggravelbed

Location: Bennett Park, 520 E 13th St, Hibbing, MN 55746

Number of Beds: 1

Type of Bed: Traditional

City of Mankato

Contact: Justin Lundborg, Natural Resource Specialist, [email protected], (507) 387-8397

Location: Water Resource Recovery Facility, 701 Pine St., Mankato, MN 56001

Installation Year: 2013

Number of Beds: 1

Type of Bed: Portable/traffic barrier

Medium: Pea stone

Dimensions: 35' x 35'

Irrigation: Soaker hose

Primary Use: Municipal planting

Stocking: 110 1.25" caliper trees at 2' x 3' spacing

Stock: Trees

Plant Out Time: Fall

Notes: Irrigated with reclaimed water.

City of Maple Grove

maplegrovegravelbed

Location: Public Works Building, 9030 Forestview Ln N, Maple Grove, MN 55369

Number of Beds: 1

Type of Bed: Traditional

City of New Brighton

Contact: Jim Veiman, Forester, [email protected]

Location: 700 5th St NW, New Brighton, MN 55112

Installation Year: 2013

Number of Beds: 1

Type of Bed: Portable/traffic barrier

Medium: Pea stone 

Irrigation: In-ground sprinklers on concrete barriers

Primary Use: Municipal planting

Stocking: 90 1"-1.5" caliper trees at 3' on center spacing

Stock: Tree/shrub mix

Plant Out Time: Fall

City of New Ulm

Contact: Shane Omersa, [email protected]; Tom Schmitz, Park & Recreation Director, [email protected]

Location: Park & Recreation Maintenance Garage, 6 North Front Street, New Ulm, MN 56073

Installation Year: 2017

Number of Beds: 1

Type of Bed: Traditional

Medium: Pea stone and sand

Dimensions: 8' x 37'

Irrigation: Timed soaker hose

Primary Use: Municipal planting

Stocking: 35 1"-1.5" caliper trees at 2' spacing

Stock: Trees

Plant Out Time: Fall

Notes: Worked well.

City of North St. Paul

Contact: Josh Bond, City Forester, ​[email protected] ​

Location: North St. Paul Public Works Facility, 2303 1st St N, North St. Paul, MN 55109

Installation Year: 2016

Number of Beds: 2

Type of Beds: Portable/traffic barrier (2 dumpsters)

Medium: Pea stone (3/8")

Dimensions: 7' x 14' (2)

Irrigation: Irrigation timer hooked to a hydrant, each dumpster has 3 irrigation heads in it- total of 6 heads. Timer also has a rain sensor.

Primary Use: Municipal planting

Stocking: 25-35 0.5"-0.75" caliper 4'-8' whips at 12"-18" spacing/dumpster

Stock: Trees

Plant Out Time: Fall

City of Princeton

Contact: Bob Gerold, Public Works Director

Location: SE quadrant of US 169 & MN 95

Installation Year: 2014

Number of Beds: 1

Type of Bed: Portable/traffic barrier

Medium: <1/2" screened rock

Dimensions: 10' x 20'

Irrigation: Timed soaker hose

Primary Use: Municipal planting

Stocking: 30 1" caliper trees at 18" - 24" on center spacing

Stock: Trees

Plant Out Time: Fall

City of Robbinsdale

robbinsdalegravelbed

Contact: Stephan Papiz, City Forester, [email protected]

Location: Robbinsdale Public Works, 4601 Toledo Ave N, Robbinsdale, MN 55422

Installation Year: 2015

Number of Beds: 1

Type of Bed: Hybrid (see notes)

Medium: Pea stone (3/8")

Dimensions: 48' x 14'

Irrigation: 6 Pop-up irrigation heads with 180 degree spray fields all positioned equidistantly along one of the long sides of the gravelbed

Primary Use: Municipal planting

Stocking: 150-175 >5' tall trees at 1.5'-2' x 2'-2.5' spacing (see notes)

Stock: Trees

Plant Out Time: Fall

Notes: Gravelbed is actually somewhat of a hybrid between in ground and traditional since it was carved out of a slight hillside. One long side is a concrete wall like shown in the above picture but the 3 other sides are bordered by removable 20" high boards that "fit" into the concrete surface more like traditional. Tree size is almost always smaller than caliper size and primarily consists of 5' to 7' for lightly or regular branched trees and 6' to 8' for whips. Caliper-sized trees are very difficult to extract in fall and calipered oaks tend to grow very few roots in the gravel. Smaller trees seem to work the best in terms of performance and handling come fall. Irrigation timing & frequency still more art than science to a certain extent. Would highly recommend as a system for any kind of municipal tree planting initiative. Allows for planting anytime from late summer into late November or early December.

City of Rochester

Contact: Jeff Haberman, City Forester

Location: Olmsted County Fairgrounds, Rochester, MN 55902

Installation Year: 2010

Number of Beds: 1

Type of Bed: Portable/traffic barrier

Medium: Pea stone

Dimensions: 75' x 75'

Irrigation: Drip line and spray heads

Primary Use: Conservation planting

Stocking: 400-700 1.5" caliper trees at 18" on center spacing

Stock: Trees

Plant Out Time: Spring and Fall

Notes: Closely monitor water usage. As temps warm, water usage increases. All trees dipped in hydrogel after removal from gravel bed.

City of St. James

stjamesgravelbed

Installation Year: 2016

City of St. Paul

Contact: Zach Jorgensen, Urban Forester, [email protected]

Locations:

Bed 1: Forestry Office, 1120 North Hamline Ave, St. Paul, MN 55108

Bed 2: Dayton's Bluff Rec Center, 800 Conway Street, St. Paul, MN 55106

Installation Year: Bed 1 - 2014, Bed 2 - 2017

Number of Beds: 2

Bed 1

Type of Bed: Traditional

Medium: Pea stone

Dimensions: 20' x 20'

Irrigation: Pop-up irrigation heads

Primary Use: Municipal planting

Stocking: 170 0.5"-1" trees at 2' on center spacing

Stock: Trees

Plant Out Time: Fall

Bed 2

Type of Bed: Traditional

Medium: Pea stone
Dimensions: 8' x 16'

Irrigation: Hand water

Primary Use: Municipal planting

Stocking: See Bed 1

Stock: Trees

Plant Out Time: Fall

City of Wabasha

Contact: Tony Johnson, Public Works Director, [email protected]

Location: Wabasha Public Works Building, Wabasha, MN 55981

Installation Year: 2017

Number of Beds: 1

Type of Bed: Portable/traffic barrier

Medium: 50% pea stone  / 50% sand

Dimensions: 50' x 30'

Irrigation: Timed drip hose

Primary Use: Municipal planting

Stocking: 33 ~3" caliper trees at 3'-4' on center spacing

Stock: Trees

Plant Out Time: Spring

City of Wayzata

Location: Wayzata Public Works, 299 Wayzata Blvd W, Wayzata, MN 55391

Installation Year: 2016

Number of Beds:  1

Type of Bed: Portable/traffic barrier

Medium: Pea stone

City of Winona

Location: Winona Wasterwater Plant, 1400 Shives Rd, Winona, MN 55987

Hennepin County

hennepincountygravelbed

Contact: Dustin Ellis, Forester, [email protected]

Locations: 

Beds 1, 2: Adult Correctional Facility, 1145 Shenandoah Lane, Plymouth MN 55447

Bed 3: North Community High School, 1500 James Ave N, Minneapolis, MN 55411

Installation Year: 2015

Number of Beds: 3

Beds 1, 2

Type of Beds: Portable/traffic barrier

Medium: Pea stone

Dimensions: 0.25 acre

Irrigation: Fixed sprinkler on zoned timer

Primary Use: Municipal planting

Stocking: 1250 trees @ 2' on center (see notes)

Stock: Trees

Plant Out Time: Fall

 

Bed 3

Type of Beds: Traditional

Medium: Pea stone

Dimensions: 12' x 12'

Irrigation: Soaker hose

Primary Use: Municipal planting

Stocking: See notes

Stock: Trees

Plant Out Time: Fall

Notes: We have 200 seedlings, 20, 6' conifers and 1030 1" and larger trees. There are a few whips that got sent that are probably .5". This was due to low stock and needing those species. Gravel beds are on top of bare soil and some dirt mixes in with gravel. The larger the gravelbeds get, the more problems they pose. Only get what you know you can use.

Mississippi Watershed Management Organization

mwmogravelbed

Contact: Marcy Bean, Capital Projects & Stewardship Specialist, [email protected]

Location: 2522 Marshall St NE, Minneapolis, MN 55418

Installation Year: 2012

Number of Beds: 1

Type of Bed: In-ground

Medium: Pea gravel w/sand

Dimensions: 32' x 12'

Irrigation: Timed drip line

Primary Use: Community support initiative (see notes)

Stocking: 150 small seedlings @ 18" on center spacing

Stock: Tree/Shrub mix

Plant Out Time: Spring

Notes: Trees and shrubs provided to community based grant projects, as possible. Seedlings sourced from conservation districts.

Sherburne County Soil and Water Conservation District

Contact: Gina Hugo, Forest Resource Specialist, [email protected]

Location: Sherburne County Public Works Facility, 10705 125th Ave SE, Becker, MN 55308

Installation Year: 2014

Number of Beds: 1

Type of Bed: Portable/traffic barrier

Medium: Chipped granite

Dimensions: 20' x 30'

Irrigation: Timed soaker hose

Primary Use: Public & private planting with education emphasis (see notes)

Stocking: 120 0.75"-1" caliper trees a 2' on center spacing

Stock: Trees

Plant Out Time: Fall

Notes: We promote GB trees in new construction neighborhoods to teach new homeowners the value of trees, how to plant and care for them.

Mississippi Park Connection

Contact: Mary Hammes, Environmental Stewardship and Volunteer Manager, [email protected]

Locations: 

gabbertraptorcentergravelbed

Gabbert Raptor Center, 1920 Fitch Ave, St Paul, MN 55108

Installation Year: 2018

Number of Beds: 2

Bed 1

Type of Bed: Traditional

Medium: Recycled pea stone

Dimensions: 12' x 46"

Irrigation: Soaker hoses

Primary Use: Conservation planting

Stocking: 400 8"-18" saplings at <6" on center spacing

Stock: Tree/shrub mix

Plant Out Time: Fall

 

Bed 2

Type of Bed: Traditional

Medium: Recycled pea stone

Dimensions: 32" x 84"

Irrigation: Soaker hoses

Primary Use: Conservation planting

Stocking: See Bed 1

Stock: Tree/shrub mix

Plant Out Time: Fall

 

Prospect Park Community Gardens

Location: 2909 4th St SE, Minneapolis, MN 55414

Installation Year: 2018

Number of Beds: 1

Type of Bed: Traditional

Medium: Recycled pea stone

Dimensions: 20' x 6' (L-shaped)

Irrigation: Soaker hoses

Primary Use: Conservation planting

Stocking: 800 trees and shrubs; at least 6 in. apart; one species 6"-12" and the rest 8"-18" saplings

Stock: Tree/shrub mix

Plant Out Time: Fall

 

Science Museum of Minnesota

Location: 120 W Kellogg Blvd, St Paul, MN 55102

Installation Year: 2017

Number of Beds: 1

Type of Bed: Traditional

Medium: Recycled pea stone

Dimensions: 12' x 20'

Irrigation: Soaker hoses

Primary Use: Conservation planting

Stocking: 40 trees at 1' on center spacing

Stock: Tree/shrub mix

Plant Out Time: Fall

 

Urban Roots MN - Rivoli Bluff Farm

Location: 120 W Kellogg Blvd, St Paul, MN 55102

Installation Year: 2017

Number of Beds: 1

Type of Bed: In-ground

Medium: Recycled pea stone

Dimensions: 10' x 20'

Irrigation: Soaker hoses

Primary Use: Conservation planting

Stocking: 245 trees; at least 6 in. apart; one species 6'-8' and the rest 18"-24" saplings

Stock: Tree/shrub mix

Plant Out Time: Fall

Tree Trust

Contact: Karen Zumach, Director of Community Forestry

Location: 3500 Kennebec Dr, Eagan, MN 55122

Installation Year: 2017

Number of Beds: 2

Type of Beds: Traditional

Medium: Pea stone

Dimensions: 25' x 100'

Irrigation: Drip line

Primary Use: Volunteer community plantings (see notes)

Stocking: 200 0.5"-0.75" caliper trees at 2' on center spacing

Stock: Trees

Plant Out Time: Fall

Notes: We purchase gravel bed stock to use in our volunteer fueled community plantings each fall. We hung tallow based soap around the perimeter of the gravel bed last year to deter deer browse-no concrete evidence that it worked, but there was negligible browse following the soap addition as compared to what we saw before.

Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center

Contact: Program Director

Location: 6282 Cranberry Road, Finland, MN 55603

Installation Year: 2012

Number of Beds: 1

Type of Bed: Traditional

Medium: Pea stone

Dimensions: 10' x 10'

Primary Use: Education

University of Minnesota - Cloquet Forestry Center

Contact: Kyle Gill, Forest Manager, [email protected]

Location: Cloquet Forestry Center, 175 University Rd, Cloquet, MN 55720

Installation Year: 2012

Number of Beds: 1

Type of Bed: Traditional

Medium: Pea stone

Dimensions: 10' x 40'

Irrigation: Drip Line

Primary Use: Research

Stocking: Project dependent

Stock: Project dependent

Plant Out Time: Project dependent

University of Minnesota - Duluth, Boulder Lake Environmental Learning Center

Contact: Program Director, [email protected]

Location: 7328 Boulder Dam Road, Duluth, MN 55803

Installation Year: 2012

Number of Beds: 1

Type of Bed: Traditional

Medium: Pea stone

Dimensions: 10' x 10'

Primary Use: Conservation planting

Living Sculpture Trees

Living Sculpture Trees

Contact: Jim Nayes, [email protected], (612) 803-9033

Location: 5900 Zehnder Road, Sunfish Lake, MN 55077

Installation Year: 2016

Number of Beds: 1

Type of Bed: Traditional

Medium: Pea stone (3/8")

Dimensions: 30' x 30'

Irrigation: Sprinkler

Primary Use: Commercial nursery production

Stocking: Varies

Stock: Trees

Plant Out Time: Spring

Prairie Restorations, Inc.

Contact: Gene Schmidt, Woody Plant Manager

Location: Boreal Natives Site, 3943 Munger Shaw Road, Cloquet, MN 55720

Installation Year: 2015

Number of Beds: 1

Type of Bed: Traditional

Medium: Pea stone

Dimensions: 15' x 30'

Irrigation: Timed overhead sprinkler

Primary Use: Commercial nursery production

Stocking: Varies

Stock: Trees

Plant Out Time: Spring

Notes: We have had good success with the trees we have rooted up in the gravel bed. We typically will install spring bare root trees from Bailey's Nursery; red maple, silver maple, aspen, birch, and basswood are typically what we would use it for.