Community Garden

An overview image of the community garden and the yellow house on the land. In the image there is a concrete pad with raised metal beds, dirt plots with green plants, and the yellow house. The community garden logo is on the top left.

The Indiana State Community Garden opened in 2008 and has since grown to 165 plots for community members to use free of charge. Each gardener has access to communal tools and water, in return gardeners agree to: tend to their plots and paths, plant only annuals, and refrain from using pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides.

Additionally gardeners are required to commit 4 hours of service a month to the garden and donate 10% of their annual yield to local charities. As we continue to grow, our donations to local food charities has grown. Each consecutive year our gardeners continue to donate more pounds of produce and more hours of service. You do not have to have any experience in order to garden. Come join our community of gardeners! For more information on our policies, please go to the ISU Community Garden Policy Guide. 

 

Since we began keeping records in 2017, gardeners from the ISU Community Garden have donated a combined 28,414 lbs. of produce and over 6,165 hours of service!

 

All prospective gardeners are required to fill out a garden application for the upcoming season, including returning gardeners. Once you fill out an application, we will contact you with availability of plots and set up an orientation. If our plot availability is full, we will put you on a waiting list. Plot assignment is on a first-come, first-served basis. 

 

ISU Community Garden Application Link

 Applications are open for the 2024 season. Apply Now!

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Sycamore Food Forest

The Sycamore Food Forest consists of a permaculture food forest, a market garden, and a pollination garden. It is located across from the ISU Community Garden on 12th Street. The food forest started as a research project in 2018. A permaculture food forest is a regenerative agriculture technique meant to mimic a natural forest with edible plants. Our food forest has 100+ fruit trees, 30+ fruit bushes, root vegetables, and vining produce. All of the produce harvested here is donated to on-campus food pantries and off-campus food banks. Student leaders in our BlueStem Internship Program are responsible for the planning, maintenance, and harvest at the food forest. Through the Bluestem Internship Program, our interns gain experience in helping maintain and harvest during the summer for our free CSA-program with the Sycamore Food Pantry. 

 

How to Get Involved

Students can get involved by taking advantage of these opportunities:

Staff & Faculty can contact us to utilize the food forest as a living laboratory for the following opportunities:

  • Research
  • Experiential Learning
  • Service Learning

Image on the left is a student in an orange shirt using a tool into the ground. The middle image is a group of students standing in front of yellow native flowers. The image on the right is a student in a blue shirt stringing tomato plants along a string.