The Baylor Community Gardens nourish hands-on education across disciplines, student and community well-being, care for creation through arts and culture, and fresh produce for our neighbors.
Environmental Humanities guides the Garden Team in growing the Baylor Community Gardens program in partnership with the Offices of Sustainability, Engaged Learning, and Missions, Service, and Public Life. The student group Baylor Campus Kitchen offers a community for dedicated student garden leaders. The Baylor Community Gardens are transforming our campus into an edible learning landscape in partnership with SCRAP (the Sustainable Community and Regenerative Agriculture Project)@Baylor. SCRAP@Baylor brings together our campus, community, and city to advance food security, environmental resilience, and community well-being through place-based education and a growing ecosystem of programs, gardens, and composting hubs.
There are two campus gardens:
- Baylor Community Gardens @ 9th & James Fellowship Garden: A short walk from campus at the intersection of Ninth St. and James Ave., the "Fellowship Garden" is the founding garden, and it is has nourished the fellowship with each other and creation that we seek to inspire through all campus gardens.
- Baylor Community Gardens @ Teal Residential College: A sister garden for learning and growing in the courtyard of Teal Residential College.
Every semester, hundreds of pounds of produce are delivered from the campus gardens to Baylor's student food pantry (the Store) and to community organizations in Waco. The gardens also nurture natural habitats for native species, support student learning and research across disciplines, and host cultural, artistic, and educational events that promote flourishing with each other and creation. The 9th & James Fellowship Garden is recognized as a conservation site by Texan By Nature and a Monarch Waystation by Monarch Watch.
Follow the Baylor Community Gardens on Instagram @baylorcommunitygarden and @baylor_ehum.
Volunteering, Composting, and Adopt-a-Bed Programs:
Harvest and Volunter Hours for Fall 2026 (through Dec. 5):
- Regular Volunteering: Saturdays 9-10 AM both gardens. Help us tend the gardens to keep them healthy!
Volunteer Guidelines:
- If you are an individual volunteering outside of a group, you do not need to apply to volunteer. You can simply show up during volunteer hours.
- If you are organizing a volunteer session for a group larger than 10, you must apply on behalf of your group. Please bring no more than 20 volunteers to each garden site and apply 2 weeks in advance of your desired service date. If you are responding to an advertised call for volunteers from the garden team for a special service day, you can apply closer to the date. In that case, please do so at least 2 business days in advance.
Composting Program:
- Instead of adding to the landfill, bring your food and yard scraps to the 9th & James Fellowship Garden, where they will become compost to nourish soil, produce, and neighbors!
- Deposit your scraps any time of year in the bins next to the garden gate on S. 9th Street.
- Click here for a graphic displaying compostable items that we accept.
- Signs above drop off bins will guide you in depositing items.
- Click here for a map displaying this and other composting sites around Waco.
Adopt-a-Bed Program:
- Grow your own vegetables while learning sustainable gardening practices in a community of gardeners! At the 9th & James Fellowship Garden, we offer 12 garden plots for people to cultivate. This program has attracted new and experienced gardeners from around the world, enriching our gardening community with a beautiful diversity of plants, gardening practices, and culinary insights. Whether you've grown for years or are just starting, you are welcome to apply.
- Available only at the 9th & James Fellowship Garden.
- Open to Baylor students, faculty, staff, and community members.
- Applicants are assigned a plot for an academic semester (or summer) with opportunity for renewal.
- Participants are responsible for planting, maintaining, and harvesting their garden plot throughout their assigned period, following Baylor Community Gardens guidelines.
- Garden Team members are available to provide guidance.
- To inquire about the program or apply for a plot, email communitygarden@baylor.edu
Garden Reservations:
Only the largest community garden, 9th & James Fellowship Garden, is available for reservation for an event, class, or other activity. Please use the form below. The garden can only be reserved outside of regular volunteer hours.
Supporting Our Work:
Your gifts will keep community gardening on campus growing along with directly linked education, research, and service programs. Every contribution makes a difference!
Support us through Baylor's Secure Online Giving Portal.
- Once in the portal, select our fund by typing "Baylor Community Garden" into the "Search Funds" Box or by clicking the "Specify Fund" box and entering "Baylor Community Garden Fund."
- Select the amount and follow prompts to finish setting up your donation.
Press and Media; Contacting Us:
For Press and Media:
Before publishing media coverage or photos for the press related to the 9th & James Fellowship Garden or its sister sites (such as Teal Residential College garden), contact CommunityGarden@baylor.edu to share your plans and receive permission. This applies to agencies and individuals within and beyond Baylor. We are excited to partner with you in sharing about the campus learning gardens, even as we ensure their collective mission is well represented and demonstrate sensitivity to the needs and wishes of the wonderful folks who share and tend them.
Your Ideas and Questions:
We'd love to hear your ideas for the Baylor Community Gardens program and we're happy to address any questions you might have. Reach us at CommunityGarden@baylor.edu.