Learning Garden Club

Learning Garden Club Student Cultivating Sustainable Solutions logo

Summer and Fall Term 2020: Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the Learning Garden is not currently holding regular workshops or volunteer events on campus. We continue to grow fruits and vegetables, host work study students, and collaborate with the Science and Sustainability departments to ensure that we can resume regular programming when it is safe to do so! Produce is donated to Food for Lane County, Titan Court, and the Lane Child and Family Center. For more information about the garden, please contact Learning Garden Specialist Kelly Hardin at hardink@lanecc.edu or 541-463-5899.

The garden is located in the southwest corner of campus. There is a gravel road off of Parking Lot D that leads into the garden. View the map.

Transforming Lives Through Gardening

Established in 2006, Lane's Learning Garden is a student-led initiative to grow healthy, sustainable food for our campus community while providing learning, service, and leadership opportunities. The Learning Garden is an interdisciplinary educational model that offers students the opportunity to work with others outside the classroom and have fun.

Organic vegetables and fruit grow year-round in the garden. The produce has been used in the the Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management Program (including on-campus restaurant, the Renaissance Room) and Campus Catering. Much of the produce is donated to Food for Lane County, and volunteers enjoy an occasional harvest as well.

The Learning Garden offers students leadership experience. It is a great way to be actively involved in implementing sustainability measures on campus. Learning Garden volunteers may qualify for work study, internships, or service learning credit from specific faculty who support the garden with their curriculum.

The space offers opportunities to explore creative garden design, observe and cultivate plant communities, and learn basic organic agriculture and gardening principles.

The Learning Garden Club is funded through student fees. Members are a diverse, energetic group dedicated to stewarding our environment, honoring the natural world that sustains us, and providing produce for great meals! If you would like to get involved and help contribute to Lane's campus sustainability, please consider volunteering in the garden, or participate in one of our many other events. Check below for volunteer times.

To get on our email list, receive information about our work parties and workshops, or for more information, please contact the Learning Garden Specialist, Kelly Hardin, at hardink@lanecc.edu or 541-463-5899.

Volunteer Opportunities

Due to COVID-19, volunteer work parties are currently on hold. We will provide updates as they become available.

Join us for our garden work parties every Tuesday afternoon (2pm-5pm) and Friday morning (9am-12pm). These work parties are a great chance to get involved, make new friends, and learn a bit more about gardening by helping us with whatever we are working on that day. You might be planting seeds, weeding, building a trellis, or harvesting tomatoes! No experience or tools necessary. Children, friends, family, and community members are welcome too! There is also a pretty great chance you will walk away with some organic produce as well...

Resources

Check out what these local organizations are doing and how you can be involved in gardening and conservation projects here in Eugene.

Veggies harvested from Learning Garden - Aug 2020 School and community gardens and gardeners

Local food and food policy

Permaculture

Trees and native plants

Wildlife

Lane's Learning Garden video (1 minute 17 seconds)