Campus Community Garden

Who We Are

In 2014, the SJSU Campus Community Garden was established as a result of a student-led initiative. The garden was created to provide students a space to gain access to health food, learn about sustainable organic garden practices and earn service learning hours.

Purpose

The garden is on a quarter acre of land and it includes multiple fruit trees, compost and gray water system. The garden exists to provide the SJSU students, staff and faculty with an opportunity to participate in food justice, accessibility to fresh and healthy food while engaging in cultural exchange and cooperation. While at the garden, SJSU members learn the ins and outs of a maintaining a small garden. SJSU members will learn how to harvest, prune, water and seed vegetable starts in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way. Garden volunteers are allowed to take home produce harvested after a workday!

The community garden is a place where students can learn and participate in the process of growing food sustainably, but it does not end there! Students can also harvest and enjoy organic, free, and locally grown produce. This space provides a place for student initiative, cooperation and cultural exchange using the growing of food as an exploration of community involvement.

Sustainability at the Garden

The community garden is chemical free (organic) which means that we do not use any pesticides or synthetic fertilizers. Furthermore, our garden is designed around the principles of permaculture and regenerative agriculture, meaning that we try to imitate the natural process. In the garden we have over sixty different plant species from perennial fruit trees and flowers to annual vegetable crops. Our garden ecosystem is diverse with multiple pollinators and creatures.
We have our own composting and gray water system that allows us to reuse and reduce our organic waste. Everything is incorporated into our garden again using sustainable methods.

Volunteering at the Garden 

The Garden will be open to volunteers this semester! Our volunteer days and times are Mondays from 12-2pm and Fridays from 9:30-11:30am.
Students can register at bit.ly/GardenVolunteerFall2021

Volunteers are welcome on first come first serve basis. For specific summer volunteer sessions, join the SJSU Campus Community Garden Facebook Group.
Keyword search 'SJSU Campus Community Garden'.

We encourage students to bring a water bottle and a grocery bag or container to help transport harvest from the garden.

Request a Garden Tour, Project, or Use the Space (Program Closed Until Further Notice)

Interested in bringing your staff or classroom to the garden? Want to do a class project related to sustainability and food? Come to the campus community garden!

Groups bigger than 4 must fill out a Campus Community Garden Request Form to reserve space. Please note that this is a request, not a confirmation. All requests will be reviewed. A follow up email will be sent between 3-5 business days after the request has been submitted. Please submit your requests at least 5 weeks in advance.

For faster inquiries, please email sjsucommunitygarden@gmail.com with the subject line: "Project Request" or "Tours at the garden".

Next Generation: Garden Fellowship

The Garden is hosting a Fellowship Program that lasts for four Fridays during the month of October. Fellows will learn about Environmental Justice and gain hands-on experience in the Garden. At the completion of the program, participants will earn an Honorarium and certificate. Spots are limited. Register at bit.ly/NextGenFall21

Fall Events 2021 

TEA & "TATTS"
Monday, August 23, 12-3pm, 7th Street Plaza
Meet our staff and learn about the community garden over “Tea & Tatts.” Boba milk tea and temporary tattoos, that is! Masks and social distancing required. Limited supplies. First come first served.

GARDEN GRAND REOPENING + HARVEST FESTIVAL
Monday, September 27, 12-4pm, Campus Community Garden
We’ve missed you at the Garden! Come to our Grand Reopening and Harvest Festival. The garden has been upgraded with a recently-completed Universal Design construction project! Enjoy refreshments, live music, crafts, a photo opportunity, airbrush tattoos, sound healing, and accessible yoga sessions led by CCCAC Manager Diana Victa. Registration required for yoga and
sound healing sessions.
Sign up for a time slot: bit.ly/StudentGardenReopening

COOKING DEMO WITH WHISK
Tuesday, October 5, 1-2pm
Thursday, November 11, 1:00-2:00pm
Campus Community Garden
Cook with the seasons alongside Wellness and Health Initiative Student Kitchen (WHISK) and Jamie Kubota, Nutrition & Food Science Professor. Learn hand-crafted recipes featuring seasonal produce from the Garden.

SOUND HEALING AT THE GARDEN
Thursday, October 21, 3:30-4pm, Campus Community Garden
Destress and return to breath and body! The Garden staff will lead you through an immersive experience using sound and vibrations from Tibetan singing bowls. Limited spots. Registration required.
Sign up: bit.ly/Fall21GardenEvents

PLANTING BY THE MOON
Wednesday, November 3, 1pm-2:30pm, Campus Community Garden
Planting by the moon and stars is a long-held farming and gardening technique originating from the traditional ecological knowledge of Indigenous peoples. Learn how you can incorporate these techniques into your own gardening routine or even with plants inside your room or home.
Registration required. Sign up: bit.ly/Fall21GardenEvents

Questions?
Contact Kaitlyn Meyer, Garden Coordinator, at kaitlyn.meyer@sjsu.edu. This event is wheelchair accessible. Please contact Kaitlyn at the soonest for any sign language interpreter or other accommodation requests.