This course is designed to both introduce new gardeners to the basic theories and methods of organic gardening, as well as provide an opportunity for more experienced gardeners to practice their skills and grow organic food. Above all, in our class we hope to inspire students to become intimately engaged with what they eat, through hands on experience in horticulture, compost, garden design, seasonal planning, and exposure to the local food justice movement.

People of all skill levels and of all majors are welcome, whether you grow all your own food or have a tough time keeping a cactus alive. As long as you're willing to get your hands a bit dirty, this is your chance to learn and practice some basic organic gardening techniques. After taking this class, a student should have the knowledge and experience to plan, plant, and care for their own garden using organic practices, meaning without the use of synthetic chemical fertilizers pesticides.

The Student Organic Garden is located north of campus on the corner of Walnut and Virginia. Classes begin 5 minutes past Berkeley time (15 minutes past the hour).

In order to pass this course students must meet the following requirements:
1) Attendance - students are allotted 2 excused absences
2) Seed-to-table project - During the course of the semester, you will be expected to complete one 2-5 minute presentation on the food/crop/ingredient of your choice and bring a snack to class that includes that ingredient. Your presentation can cover the food’s cultural history, use, and any other interesting facts that come up during your research. The most important part of this requirement is to have fun and learn about a food that you enjoy!
3) Volunteer hours - Each student is required to complete 10 hours of garden-related activities outside of the decal.
4) Crop Plan Assignment- Following the lesson and supplemental readings on crop planning, students in groups of 2-3 will design a crop plan for the beds in the Student Organic Garden. You will research what is in season in this area, water and sunlight requirements, and consider the techniques of crop rotation, cover cropping, biointensive planting, biodiversity, and companion planting in your design. Plans will include a hand drawn/ computer generated design and a short write up explaining what the plan entails and what factors were considered in constructing the crop plan.
5) Garden Installation Project- During the course of the semester, you will be expected to implement a project in the garden. Projects can be completed individually or with a partner or small group depending on the scale of the project chosen. Example projects include hanging succulent gardens, signage, workshop facilitation, SOGA apparel design and printing, mural painting, making stepping stones, irrigation infrastructure (i.e. gray water system for sink), raised bed construction, art installation, vertical/ pallet gardening, etc.

PLEASE NOTE that the syllabus indicates that the first week of classes is JANUARY 30th. Enrollment in each section is limited to approximately 15-20 students and, ultimately, dependent upon facilitators’ capacity. The goal of SOGA Garden is to give ALL students hands-on experience in gardening activities, no matter their skill level. Accordingly, we will try to accommodate any student with a desire to join this course. TO ENROLL: please attend the first day of your section during the week of January 30th- February 3rd. Facilitators will give you a CCN after this first class. For other concerns regarding enrollment, email the facilitator of the section time you are interested in.