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The Grow Lab is a campus garden that serves as a “living laboratory” to promote experiential and service–based learning opportunities. The Grow Lab demonstrates ecological food production methods with an emphasis on zero-waste and community engagement.

Our Vision and Mission

Vision

We envision a garden where UT students, faculty, staff, and Knoxville citizens participate in hands-on learning, engage in meaningful service, conduct research, and cultivate community. The Grow Lab demonstrates ecological food production methods, addresses local food insecurity, contributes to a sense of place, and encourages interdisciplinary partnerships across the many departments, clubs, organizations, and other groups on UTK’s campus. At the Grow Lab, half of the raised garden beds and many sections of our pollinator meadow are designated for reservation by academic courses and university groups for research purposes. Garden staff and volunteers will maintain the remaining plots and donate produce to hunger-alleviating causes, including the on-campus food pantry.

 

Mission

First and foremost, the Grow Lab supports the mission of the University of Tennessee to embody “the spirit of excellence in teaching, research, scholarship, creative activity, outreach, and engagement”. As a living laboratory, the Grow Lab provides a space to teach, do research, and engage in practical, hands-on learning. As a nexus for community, the garden encourages outreach and engagement with the surrounding community and addresses local food insecurity.

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Location

The Grow Lab is located at 2019 Terrace Avenue (between 21st Street and Montcastle Street).

The Grow Lab has two main areas: the Garden and the Meadow. The Garden consists of 18 raised garden beds (with more being added all the time), multiple berry patches, a native flower garden, and a rainwater harvesting shed, as well as many other features. In 2025, the Grow Lab will debut our very own Freight Farm: a vertical, hydroponic farm, comparable to 3 acres of traditional farmland, built entirely inside a 40-foot shipping container, capable of producing 2 to 6 tons of harvest every year.

The rest of the Grow Lab is the Meadow: a no-mow zone meant to provide food and habitat for our many native pollinators and wildlife species. The Meadow contains a native fruit tree orchard, a native plant hillside, a rain garden, many pollinator habitats, student project sections, a pumpkin patch and of course, our Big Orange Checkerboard Garden.

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Get Involved!

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Volunteer

In the Spring 2025 semester, Garden Workdays will be held on Wednesdays from 3 to 5 PM. Volunteers will receive a brief tour of the garden and be able to assist with a wide range of activities, including seeding, harvesting, pruning, tending to crops, etc. Volunteering with the Grow Lab is a great way to grow your knowledge about food production and to connect with where your food comes from!

Pollinator Slope Workdays will be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4 to 6 PM. These volunteer shifts focus on educating students about vegetation management by removing invasive species and restoring the native seed bank to provide food and habitat for our pollinators–without which, agriculture would be impossible!

No green thumb required, but we DO require volunteers to wear closed toes shoes and to bring their own water bottle for safety purposes. We also ask that volunteers wear attire that is weather-appropriate and that they do not mind getting dirty.

Sign up here to volunteer with us!

Host a Workshop

We foster a variety of learning opportunities at the Grow Lab and always welcome workshops! If you are interested in hosting a workshop OR have a suggestion on a workshop you would like to see in the future, reach out to us at growlab@utk.edu!

Reserve a Course Plot

As a living laboratory, the Grow Lab has garden beds available for students, staff, faculty, and organizations/clubs! If you are interested, reach out to us at growlab@utk.edu!

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Class Presentations and Tours