Community Garden

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A Community-Loved Garden at the Heart of Our Campus

The HKUST Community Garden is a cherished space that thrives on the efforts of volunteers, including HKUST staff, students, and on-campus residents. Since its establishment in 2021, the garden has provided our community with a peaceful sanctuary and a vibrant gathering place. We embrace the principles of organic farming and gardening principles, fostering growth, community, and engagement, and promoting sustainable land management for agriculture and tourism.

At our Community Garden, we offer a total of 24 rows for cultivation, rather than individual pots. We operate as one big family, working together to weed, till, sow, fertilize, water, and harvest in our shared backyard.

Learning and Practicing Sustainable Gardening Practices

We are dedicated to promoting conservation and sustainable land use through various practices.

  • Tracing seed origins: We ensure that no invasive species or GMO produce contaminate our campus landscape by carefully tracking the origin of the seeds sown in our plots.
  • Organic composting: We exclusively utilize organic compost and generate our compost using yard waste produced within the garden, no chemical fertilizer is allowed.
  • Natural pest control: Our garden abstains from synthetic herbicides or pesticides. Instead, we employ biological control measures, such as planting pest-repelling plants, to manage pests.
  • Inspiring others: We actively promote organic planting through social media by sharing success stories and inspiring others to adopt sustainable gardening practices.

Educational Programs and Training events

We organize various educational programs and training events to provide opportunities for our community members to learn and train in organic gardening techniques.

Visits act as an example of tourism regarding the sustainable use of land.

Busy Bees Kindergarten Visit 2024

The Busy Bee Kindergarten visited the Community Garden in 2024. The kindergarten learned about the importance of sustainable management for agriculture, and the visit act as an example of tourism regarding the sustainable use of land.

Organic Farming Class 2023

During our recent farming class at the garden, our members had the opportunity to learn the basics of organic farming in a hands-on manner. They not only mastered the usage of farming tools but also learned how to prepare the soil and successfully sowed some seeds and transplanted several seedlings to kick off the growing season. In fact, these empowered members are now ready to take on the role of teacher themselves, passing on their newfound knowledge, and creating a sustainable community.

Vermicomposting Workshop 2023

During the week of Earth Day 2023, we collaborated with an organic farm on Lamma Island to bring their expertise on Vermicomposting to our community. This fascinating process harnessed the power of red worms to transform organic waste like coffee ground and paper into nutrient-rich compost. This event successfully raised awareness about the importance of organic composting in supporting the ecosystem and encouraged participants to appreciate nature and its creatures.

Pest Control Workshop 2022

In November 2022, we hosted a dynamic pest control workshop where participants learned valuable techniques for protecting crops using sustainable and organic methods.

This workshop included an introduction to common insects found in Hong Kong and explored various methods to safeguard crops. Participants also had the opportunity to create their own insect traps using recycle plastic bottles, which they could implement in their own gardens.

Get Involved

Our Community Garden emphasizes open communication and a flatter organizational structure. We have three primary roles:

Garden Manager: The key contact point with the University. Provide any assistance if possible for the Garden when needed; Make the ultimate decision for Garden matters; Suggest and implement new changes.

 

Garden Committee: Members who oversee the Community Garden's operations. Main decision-makers on Garden operation, including planting plan; infrastructure; external and internal engagement etc; Required to host at least three sessions for the Garden in both the fall and spring semesters.

 

Garden Volunteers: Members who are the main supporters of the Community Garden. Can join the sessions hosted by the committee members and prioritise in joining the events/activities organized by the Garden; can share the harvests with satisfactory volunteering hours.

 

Membership in the Community Garden can be applied primarily through an annual recruitment email sent at the beginning of each academic year. If you missed the recruitment email, you can contact us at green@ust.hk to express your interest.

 

We welcome all members of the HKUST community to participate in our gardening workshops and events even if you are not a member as well. To stay updated, please follow our Community Garden Instagram page here, or watch out for emails from event alert or HKUST Sustainability / Net-Zero Office.

Collaboration Opportunities

We are also open to collaborating with external partners such as gardening educators, suppliers, and innovators. If you belong to any of these categories, please reach out to us at our email mentioned above to explore potential collaboration.