Winter and spring quarters of the Edible Campus program will center students in the management of the campus organic farm, community gardens, and food forests as we plan for and initiate the new growing season. Starting in winter, the program is designed to teach the theory and practice of community鈥痑nd participatory management structures which will require students to work collaboratively鈥痑nd professionally across the class and beyond.听Successful participation will require students to learn systems thinking frameworks and technology tools for efficient collaboration including Microsoft 365 applications, Canvas, and other digital and social media. These tools will augment (not replace) in-person collaboration where students will work within and across teams focused on supporting the research, planning, and operational management of the campus organic farm, community gardens and food forests.听听听
Winter quarter will teach farm and garden planning by having students assess prior season data, create harvest goals, planting plans, seed orders and budgets, and set calendars for site preparation, sowing, transplanting, crop care, and harvests. Horticultural principles and applications will focus on greenhouse management and technology, plant propagation, soil fertility and fertilization calculations, composting, and dormant season care of perennial fruit and nut species. Spring quarter will add economic botany, with an exploration of our relationship to common farm and garden plants, plus aboveground (pollinators and 鈥減ests鈥) and belowground (the soil food web) biodiversity and invertebrate ecology, the circular (bio)nutrient economy, and permaculture design practices for creating resilient small farms and gardens. During spring each student will choose the primary context of their practicum work between data-driven market farming and sales or community gardens and food forests as we learn to cultivate annual and perennial crops, steward soil, taste the harvest, and expand socially inviting edible landscapes to support campus wellness. 听听
There will be a significant鈥痜ield component鈥痶o this class, regardless of weather. We will have 2-3 weekly practicum sessions outdoors plus some day field trips. Students will need sufficient and appropriate gear to be comfortable outdoors in the highly variable Pacific Northwest weather conditions.听
鈥
Winter Anticipated Credit Equivalencies:
5 鈥 Quantitative Farm and Garden Planning听
5 鈥 Environmental Horticulture and Plant Propagation听
4 鈥 Applied Systems Thinking听
2 鈥 Community Leadership
听
Spring Anticipated Credit Equivalencies:
2 鈥 Permaculture Design听
2 鈥 Circular (Bio)nutrient Economy听
4 鈥 Soil Ecology with Laboratory听
4 鈥 Economic Botany听
2 鈥 Community Leadership听
2听鈥撎齏ellness Through Community Gardening
Registration
Academic Details
$95 fee in winter covers hand tools ($45) and a required lab fee ($50). $50 fee in spring covers a required lab fee.
Schedule
Revisions
| Date | Revision |
|---|---|
| 2025-11-03 | Program description updated |
| 2025-06-30 | Anticipated Credit Equivalencies updated per faculty request |