St. Paul’s Frogtown seeks to become the most sustainable and eco-friendly neighborhood in the city.

The neighborhood already encompasses various urban farms, parks and gardens, including Frogtown Farm, one of the largest urban farms in the country. And later this month, residents will host the Green Gathering, which has become an annual event to network and share information on gardening and urban farming activities.

“Part of what we’re trying to do is change the public perception of Frogtown,” said Patricia Ohmans, a resident of the neighborhood since 1981. She is the founder of Frogtown Green, a resident-led group dedicated to neighborhood sustainability.

Years ago as residents banded together to rid Frogtown of its gritty reputation, they realized the neighborhood had less green space than any other in St. Paul, with the exception of downtown, Ohmans said.

The push has been on ever since to change that.

In what used to be a swampy, underpopulated part of St. Paul, the early prevalence of frogs gave the neighborhood its moniker, according to the city. The neighborhood boundaries are University Avenue to the south, West Minnehaha Avenue to the north, Lexington Parkway to the west and Rice Street to the east.

ENVIRONMENTAL FORUM

The Green Gathering on Feb. 24 will feature a networking and informational fair on greening, gardening and farming activities in the neighborhood.

In its fifth year, the gathering is sponsored by Frogtown Green. It will run from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Rondo Community Library, located at 461 N. Dale St.

The Green Gathering is attended by resident beekeepers, community gardeners, tree planters, food producers and local businesses who invest in Frogtown’s goals. In the past, it has attracted 75 to 80 people, according to Ohmans. This year, the organizers expect about 100.

WHAT IS FROGTOWN GREEN?

The group’s goal is simply put: Make Frogtown the greenest neighborhood in St. Paul.

A volunteer-based group’s proudest achievement is when they campaigned for the preservation of 13 vacant acres in the middle of Frogtown to be used as a public park and urban farm in 2013. Since then, they have created six more parks and gardens.

The group now manages a 40-bed community garden called Our Village, an Asian-American “Lily Pad” garden, and two butterfly and bee-friendly pollinator gardens.

Yer Vang, 55, has lived in Frogtown for 35 years since coming to Minnesota from a Thailand refugee camp. She works with a group of elderly neighbors and helps them in the Lily Pad garden, planting everything from green beans to Asian squash.

“In the store organic food is too expensive. … So we do gardening ourselves,” Vang said.

A group of volunteers called the “Tree Frogs” planted more than 400 trees in the neighborhood, according to Ohmans.

Frogtown Green also offers a FrogLab called “Bringing the Frogs Back,” which is hosted at Hmongtown Marketplace and offers science and art activities about frogs.

BUTTERFLIES AT THE REC CENTER

On the western end of the West Minnehaha Recreation Center is Frogtown Green’s Monarch City. It is a place for butterflies, honeybees and other pollinators to land and feed.

RELATED: St. Paul’s Frogtown getting a big new recreation center

The garden started out small in front of the office window of Bilal Muhammad, who manages the center and wanted to beautify the area. Over the years, more plants have been added, and the garden now extends to the corner of Grotto Street and Minnehaha.

Ideally, the plan is for the gardens to encircle the rec center and to develop a community peace garden.

“I am just trying to advocate (for) green spaces. … Plus, I love plants and flowers,” Muhammad said.

EVENT DETAILS