About Kelly

Designer • Educator • Farmer

A woman with curly gray hair, wearing a white t-shirt, tan shorts, sandals, and a visor, is kneeling in a garden, harvesting green beans from a row of plants. She is holding a small bunch of beans while looking at them. There are multiple green plants, a stone wall, and a wooden fence in the background, along with a plastic green bucket on the ground.

I consider plants our partners, and their placement among natural elements is what shapes a space into something immersive and alive.

For nearly 30 years, I’ve created outdoor spaces that are lived in—rooted in ecology, shaped by function, and inspired by the simple idea that we are part of the land, not separate from it.

My work blends design, research, and education to help people reconnect with their outdoor environment in meaningful, lasting ways.

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My Story.

As a plantswoman, I love teaching and inviting Folks into the process.

Getting your hands in the soil—digging, planting, tending—creates a deeper connection and appreciation for your space that becomes more than a feature; it becomes an extension of how you live and who you are.

Beyond design, my passion for local food systems and community impact has led to projects such as co-founding a nationally recognized Seed Library, developing community food gardens, and launching educational programs that provide fresh food and knowledge to neighbors across Rochester. This work has received sustainability awards, but more importantly, it continues to grow through collaboration and shared learning.

Whether I’m walking a landscape with a client, growing in my urban farmstead, or educating during a presentation, my goal is the same—to create environments that nourish people, support life, and make the everyday feel a little more connected.

Various colorful flowers in white containers on a wooden table, with a woman in a white shirt arranging the flowers, dark wooden wall in the background.

Close-up of a person wearing tan work pants with a yellow and red patch that reads 'Red Ants Pants' in an outdoor setting with a dirt ground and green foliage in the background.

An elderly man standing and pointing at a document in front of an elderly woman with curly gray hair, sitting at a table in a room with framed pictures and windows.

A woman with gray hair wearing a beige baseball cap with a green sticker that says "ask me about SEEDS" and a blue collared shirt, smiling in a garden setting with plants in the background.

A woman with gray hair and glasses gardening in a greenhouse with rows of plants in trays.

Community Work, Projects & A Few Things I’ve Been Lucky to Be Part Of

Nearly 30 years of creating outdoor spaces rooted in ecology, functionality, and connection
Co-founder of Rochester’s nationally recognized Seed Library at the Rochester Public Library
Creator of community food gardens and educational programs focused on local food systems and accessibility
Founder of Local Food 101, a free horticulture and food systems program providing fresh food and education to Rochester residents
Recipient of the Environmental Achievement Award for Sustainable Food Production (2019)
Recipient of the Mayor’s Medal of Honor for Sustainability (2020). These awards highlighted my graduate work in urban agriculture and food security, leading to further local food efforts, the Olmsted County 2021 Food Security Assessment funding, and the 2021 formation of the Olmsted County Food Security Coalition.
Contributor to local food security efforts, including the Olmsted County 2021 Food Security Assessment funding, and the 2021 formation of the Olmsted County Food Security Coalition.
Reconnecting with the University of Minnesota Olmsted County Extension Master Gardener Volunteer Program in 2019 was essential to forming deeper bonds with my community, fostering collaboration and partnerships to focus on Local Food.
Active with the University of Minnesota Extension Master Gardener program, sustainability partnerships, and local environmental initiatives
I also serve on the University of Minnesota Master Gardener State Advisory Board, two of the University of Minnesota Extension Regional Sustainable Partnerships Working Groups, the State Board of Water and Soil Resources, and as a Minnesota Water Steward for the City of Rochester.
The name The Garden Lab came from a visitor who once described the space as “a garden laboratory,” which honestly felt pretty fitting

The start of The Garden Lab

I continue to provide garden design services and have fun offering a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Flower Bouquet Subscription during the growing season. Proudly, my urban garden hosted many events in 2022, with one visitor observing that I'd created a "garden laboratory." This inspired the name The Garden Lab, combining my gardening efforts into one space for urban agriculture in Rochester, Minnesota.

The start of The Garden Lab

I continue to provide garden design services and have fun offering a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Flower Bouquet Subscription during the growing season. Proudly, my urban garden hosted many events in 2022, with one visitor observing that I'd created a "garden laboratory." This inspired the name The Garden Lab, combining my gardening efforts into one space for urban agriculture in Rochester, Minnesota.

The Tom and Kelly Show

Educational Gardening Fun

Tom Bellinger and Kelly Rae Kirkpatrick are University of Minnesota (UMN) Extension Olmsted County Master Gardener Volunteers. We enjoy being silly with our educational outreach about our local projects and topics covering Master Gardener Priorities of Horticulture Skills, Local Food, Climate Change, Nearby Nature, Clean Water, Pollinators and Plant Biodiversity. Please subscribe to our YouTube Channel and enjoy our video series!

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