University of Montana
ER-T2-2: Organic Garden

The University Dining Services (UDS) Garden and associated closed loop campus food system serve as a living learning laboratory where students, faculty, staff, and guests can learn about growing food through various methods, passive solar greenhouse design and management, sustainable waste management, composting, and water catchment. The garden itself has three sections: 1.) an array of 12 raised beds; 2.) a large area used for row crops, fruit trees, and the passive solar greenhouse (directly to the south of the raised bed zone); and 3.) another area used for edible Montana and Northwest native plants, including serviceberry, an assortment of currants, alpine and wood’s strawberry, the native red raspberry, and hazelnuts. The third area is planned to mimic nature and be a “food forest,” where plants can grow a little wilder, but still be for human consumption. Together, the three sections represent various methods of gardening and total over 60 varieties of plants. This garden is unique in that it incorporates all aspects of the food production cycle within a plot of land no bigger than many people’s backyards as well as demonstrating the uniqueness of a location in an urban setting and providing a model for food production in dense, urban environments. It is also an educational tool that demonstrates the actual processes of how individuals and communities can bring their food systems close to home and move towards community food security.