Coca Cola Grant Winners Build a Sustainable Garden and Student Farm

July 16, 2018

The Sustainable Growing Club (GrOSU), InFACT, and students from the Knowlton School of Architecture teamed up to create an incredible garden design for 2018. This was done with the aid of funding from the Coca-Cola Student Sustainability Grants. An online poll was held by GrOSU and InFACT where any student could select their favorite garden designs that they would like to see implemented this upcoming fall. The garden designs were developed by landscape architecture students. The top two choices from the poll were a pollinator garden and a medicinal garden, which were then combined into one cohesive design, by Ohio State faculty member Ethan McGory and his students. The new on-campus gardens were planted in May 2018, on the south side of Smith Lab. There are over 20 native plants in the new gardens. Moving forward, GrOSU will perform maintenance on the garden to keep it thriving, as well as begin planning events centered around the garden in time for the new school year. During the new school year GrOSU will team up with SUSTAINS Learning Community to create another garden outside of Scott House. Make sure to check out both of these gardens in the fall!

The Coca-Cola Grant also provided funding for these student organizations to rebuild Ohio State’s Waterman Student Farm as a more sustainable, educational, and resilient space. The students are working to educate all members of the Buckeye community about agricultural activities, such as beekeeping, pest management, crop management, and more.  The current crops include peas, kale, lettuce, onions, and even the three sisters (squash, corn, and beans). The farm is continuing to grow, thanks to the dedication of so many Green Buckeyes! 

For more information on progress and volunteer opportunities, visit and follow @ohiostatestudentfarm on Facebook to learn more about the students’ progress!