Ready to support pollinators in your own yard—but not sure where to start, or what to do next?
This season, Blue Thumb is launching Lawns to Legumes: Habitat at Home, a free, guided program that helps Minnesotans create, expand, or care for pollinator-friendly spaces—step by step, and alongside a community of others doing the same.
What is Lawns to Legumes: Habitat at Home?
Lawns to Legumes: Habitat at Home is a five-month, do-it-together program designed to support you through every stage of a pollinator habitat project. Whether you’re starting from scratch, adding to an existing garden, or maintaining a mature planting, you’ll receive guidance, resources, and encouragement to help your habitat thrive.
This program is all about making habitat work approachable and achievable. There’s no grant required—just your interest, your space, and a willingness to dig in and learn as you go.
Who is this program for?
Lawns to Legumes: Habitat at Home is designed for Minnesotans at any stage of their habitat journey. You might be planting your first pollinator garden, expanding an existing space, or maintaining and improving a mature native planting. All of these paths are welcome here.
No matter your level of experience—or the size of your yard—this program meets you where you are and helps you take the next step.
What you’ll receive
When you sign up, you’ll have access to a full season of support to guide your project from summer through fall. Participants receive monthly email guidance with step-by-step, seasonal tips, along with invitations to webinars and learning opportunities on topics like native plants, pollinator habitat, and yard care practices.
You’ll also be able to connect with others through an online community space, where participants share progress, ask questions, and learn from one another. For those looking for more personalized support, optional volunteer coaching is available as capacity allows. Throughout the season, we’ll also highlight events, plant sales, and trusted resources to help you take the next step in your project.
Program Timeline
The Lawns to Legumes: Habitat at Home cohort follows the natural rhythm of the fall planting season. Sign-up is open now, and the program runs from mid-June through November.
You can join at any point, but earlier participation gives you more time to plan and prepare your site before planting and fall maintenance begin.
What you’ll learn (and do)
Lawns to Legumes: Habitat at Home is designed to guide you through the key steps of creating and caring for pollinator habitat, with topics that align to the season.
Early in the program, you’ll focus on site preparation to set your project up for success. As the season progresses, you’ll explore pollinator identification and pollinator–plant relationships, building a deeper understanding of how your planting supports bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects.
Late summer and early fall will focus on plant selection and design, as well as installation basics for those starting new projects. From there, the emphasis shifts to fall maintenance—how to water, weed, divide, and expand plantings, as well as how to care for new and established habitats.
As the season winds down, you’ll learn how to collect and process seeds, create overwintering habitat (including what not to clean up), and try seed starting or winter sowing. You’ll also gain insight into how pollinators overwinter, helping you make informed decisions that support habitat year-round.
Be a part of something bigger
Every pollinator planting—no matter the size—contributes to a larger movement across Minnesota.
As part of Lawns to Legumes: Habitat at Home, you’ll be invited to share your project through the Lawns to Legumes Garden Gallery and add your habitat to the statewide Bee Map. These tools help track impact, tell stories, and inspire others to take action.
Together, participants are building a growing network of pollinator habitat across the state.
How is this different from the Lawns to Legumes grant?
If you’re familiar with Lawns to Legumes, you might be wondering how Lawns to Legumes: Habitat at Home compares to the individual grant program.
The key difference is that Lawns to Legumes: Habitat at Home does not include grant funding. Instead, it focuses on providing expanded technical support, education, and community connection—without the reimbursement process or funding requirements.
This makes the program more flexible and accessible. It’s open to anyone who wants to participate, including past grant recipients, and allows you to focus fully on creating quality pollinator habitat at your own pace.
If you’re interested in financial support, the Lawns to Legumes grant program is expected to return for Spring 2027. You can sign up here to be notified when applications open.
Sign up today!
Creating habitat can feel overwhelming at first—but it becomes much more manageable (and more rewarding) when you’re part of a community. Lawns to Legumes: Habitat at Home gives you the tools, guidance, and support to take meaningful action for pollinators, right where you live. Join Minnesotans across the state in creating pollinator habitat at home.
