University of Central Florida
IN-7: Community Garden

Having started in February of 2009, the Arboretum Community Farm and Garden has grown into a major feature of the Arboretum program. The garden has become an especially important part of our volunteer program, hosting thousands of volunteer hours per year. Through their hard work and maintenance of the farm, we have been able to increase our yields and output! Starting in the Fall of 2023, the farm and garden has been completely transformed to include new features such as a large flower pollinator bed, an increased amount of farmland, and newly installed metal farm beds to allow for easier access to growing fruits, vegetables, and herbs! Each of these 16 new farm beds will display the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, as a way to promote sustainability along with organic growing methods. We also have an early stage of a fruit orchard present behind the farm, with the goal in mind to produce large amounts of diverse fruit types. We are looking forward to the future where we will incorporate even more different kinds of fruits and vegetables to expand our knowledge, along with donating a multitude of items. We are especially happy that our garden produce goes to help students in need through the Knights Helping Knights Pantry. The pantry provides UCF students in need with necessities including food, clothing, and personal hygiene items. Our garden is open to everyone in the UCF and Orlando community to visit, so come get your hands dirty and learn about growing food!