Minnesota’s Lawns to Legumes program offers grants and technical assistance to those who want to establish pollinator-friendly native plants on their lawns.
This article will describe the program, explain why it was established, tell you who is eligible, and explain how you can sign up.
What is Lawns to Legumes?
According to the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR), the Lawns to Legumes program offers homeowners a combination of workshops, coaching, planting guides, and financial assistance for installing pollinator-friendly native plants and wildflowers in their lawns.
The Minnesota BWSR not only funds it but offers numerous guides about:
- How to create pollinator habitats
- The different types of projects and how to create them
- The right plants for your garden
- How to care for your garden
The state partners with Metro Blooms and Blue Thumb to administer the program.
Why it was created
The state created Lawns to Legumes in August 2019 to bring pollinators like butterflies, moths, and bees back to Minnesota.
In recent years, the pollinator population has declined from loss of habitat, lack of nutrition, pesticide use, and pathogens. This trend alarms state officials because pollinators are essential for the growth and health of plants and crops.
Lawns to Legumes hopes to create new habitats for pollinators to feed and nest by replacing grass with wildflowers and native plants like honeysuckle, clover, thistle, sunflowers, and goldenrods. It emphasizes the protection of at-risk species like Minnesota’s state bee, the rusty-patched bumble bee.
“Lawns to Legumes helps Minnesotans to put conservation on the ground in a way that works for them,” said John Jaschke, executive director of the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources. “We all can make a difference for pollinators in our own living spaces”.
Note: Read our article, The Best Minnesota Wildflowers for Your Garden, to learn about what wildflowers work here.
What do the incentives include?
Homeowners who establish pollinator habitats in their yards may be reimbursed up to $400. You must provide at least a 25% match of the reimbursement request in the form of materials, hiring contractors, or your own labor for planting and maintaining plants.
Items eligible for reimbursement include:
- Native plants
- Mulch (non-dyed preferred)
- Compost
- Edging (non-plastic preferred)
- Fencing or other herbivore protection material
- Stake for your Lawns2Legumes yard sign (L2L)
- Equipment rental fees
- Delivery fees
- Blue Thumb/Metro Blue workshops
- For raised bed and container gardens: soil, containers, planters, and raised bed materials (up to $100).
Requirements
To be reimbursed, your project must include new native plants:
- Flowers/forbs
- Bare root plants
- Grasses, sedges, and ferns
- Trees and shrubs
- Seeds
Blue Thumb encourages planting at least three all-season blooms, which are plants that bloom during spring, summer, and fall. They also recommend buying native plants and seeds from within 175 miles of the project location and avoiding buying plants treated with neonicotinoids/systemic pesticides.
Note: You must use native plants to be eligible. Read our article, Native Minnesota Prairie Plants for Landscapes, to learn more about them.
Application process
Who is eligible?
Any Minnesota residents who have a yard, deck, or outdoor space can apply for the program.
How grants are awarded
Lawns to Legumes uses a lottery system to select grant recipients. Here’s how the system works:
- It emphasizes priority habitat areas for the rusty-patched bumble bee and other at-risk pollinators.
- The grants are awarded geographically to ensure all areas of the state are represented.
- It represents and prioritizes low-income, minority, and tribal communities among awarded recipients.
The state selects new participants in two overlapping funding rounds: one in the spring (January to July) and one in the fall (June to November).
Lawns to Legumes awards just one grant per individual. If you applied for the program and didn’t get a grant, you’ll need to reapply for the next funding round.
How to sign up
Apply online on Blue Thumb’s website. The application form will ask for the following information:
- First and last name
- Address
- Whether you own or rent your property
- Email address
- Location of planting – either at your address or somewhere else. Just put in the address of the planting location.
- The county where the project is located. You can either type it in or select it from a drop-down menu.
The program confirms the award via email. If you don’t respond within several weeks, the grant is offered to someone else.
Frequently asked questions
What plants are not eligible for reimbursement?
Non-native cultivars, hybrids, and annuals are not eligible for reimbursement. There are exceptions if those plants are beneficial to pollinators. Some examples include fescue grasses, creeping thyme, and black chokeberry.
How long should I spend on this project?
Grantees are expected to spend at least two hours on their projects.
Where can I buy native plants?
Blue Thumb has a list of native plant nurseries and retailers, but you aren’t restricted to what’s on it.
Read our article, Minnesota Native Plants for Your Landscape, to see some of the best native plants for Minnesota.
Hiring a professional
Are you struggling with finding the right plants or planting them? Get in touch with a Lawn Love professional. We’ll be more than willing to help plant for you.
Main Image Credit: Savo Ilic | Adobe Stock Free | License
