The Colgate Community Garden serves primarily as an educational space, providing students and community members with hands-on experience in sustainable agriculture, farm-to-fork food systems, and environmental stewardship. The space cultivates a wide variety of fruits, vegetables (40+ different types!), herbs, and flowers, prioritizing learning and experimentation with growing techniques and ecological practices rather than maximizing yield. It is also home to a greenhouse and 12 community member plots. Most importantly, the garden is a great community space, hosting a diverse range of programming, including academic classes, volunteer opportunities, community events, and partnerships with local schools and organizations.
Last year, the 2025 growing season produced more than 2,700 pounds of fresh fruits, vegetables, and herbs. Approximately half of the harvest is donated to the Hamilton Food Cupboard and the campus food pantry, with the remainder supporting dining services, local partners, and student-run farm stands.
Currently located at 1737 NY-12B, the Colgate Community Garden is about a 20-minute walk from the heart of campus. It’s also reachable via a short path from the nearby townhouses, which are accessible by shuttle. The garden is open from March to November, with open volunteer hours. Sign up for volunteer hours on Instagram @ColgateSust!
Upcoming Developments
Pavilion - The garden team is excited to welcome a permanent pavilion to the garden. Construction is expected to begin in 2026. The pavilion will be the only one of its kind on Colgate’s campus, offering a valuable opportunity to continue cultivating a warm, inviting environment that strengthens sustainability education and community connection.
Edible Food Forest - There remains one corner of the garden’s fenced-in property (safe from the deer) that has not yet been transformed into growing space. The team has drafted plans for an edible, native food forest that will demonstrate unique growing tactics that promote ecological biodiversity.
Fall Programs
- Student-Run Farm Stand - Garden interns hold a weekly farmstand on campus during the summer and fall for students, staff, and faculty to purchase produce harvested freshly from the garden that morning.
- Three Sisters Garden - At the end of May, the Colgate community welcomed members of the Onondaga Nation to plant corn, beans, and squash in the fifth annual Three Sisters Garden. The garden team looks forward to nourishing this garden over the summer, which offers an important reminder of respecting and connecting with the heritage of our land.
- Annual Fall Harvest Festival - Every fall, the garden welcomes community members to gather for an afternoon of student a cappella showcases, Indigenous dancing performances, and other activities such as pumpkin painting, corn husk doll making, hot pepper tasting challenges, and more. This year’s festival will be held on Friday, Sept. 18.
- Broad Street Compost Program - The garden team has been collecting compost from several fraternities and sororities along Broad Street, diverting more than 14,440 pounds of food scraps since the inception of this program in 2022. In recent semesters, the compost program has expanded to include several theme houses, and the garden team continues to look into growing the program’s reach.
- Pilot Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Program - Students living in apartments have the opportunity to purchase weekly boxes of produce harvested from the garden throughout the fall.
- Seed Library - The garden team partners with the Hamilton Public Library to organize seed packets for community members to explore and take home to plant.
- Community Garden PE Class - In the fall, students can sign up for a class led by the garden team. Students work on various tasks in the garden and participate in local field trips and community events.
The 2026 summer garden team is excited to continue bringing programming to Colgate University students and Hamilton community members during the next year in this beautiful and ever-evolving space. Donations from Colgate alumni and family members, as well as collaborations across campus and the community, are essential for making the garden a thriving, welcoming place for all to visit.
