Franklin Permaculture Garden​

Franklin Permaculture Garden is the campus hot spot to learn about human-scale ecological solutions for creating a better tomorrow. More than just a garden, this space engages the campus community through educational models ranging from organic food production, to rainwater harvesting, to participatory art creation.

First proposed in fall 2009, the Franklin Garden is the largest and flagship garden. It has been designed, implemented, and maintained by UMass students in collaboration with faculty, staff, and local community members.

Beginning in 2010, the site was transitioned from a grass lawn into an edible, educational, biodiverse growing space through the addition of over half a million pounds of organic matter – UMass Dining compost, recycled cardboard, and local wood chips – all with the help of thousands of volunteers and local community groups. Using only organic methods, we grow over 100 species of useful plants and produce over 1,000 lbs a year of food for the dining commons, campus community and on-campus farmers markets.

In 2022 we added the Franklin East garden, an accessible raised bed garden, giving us an additional 3,000 square feet of growing space.