NIU’s Edible Campus program is designed to provide inclusive and sustainable access for our students and community members to nutritious food from edible gardens and landscaping situated throughout the campus. The gardens will be functional, educational, create awareness and include elements of modern technology along with providing an opportunity to build a connection between wellness and the environment. They will be used as a showcase for local high school horticulture and landscape design students along with NIU students, senior design projects and community volunteers. As a true community project, the gardens will feature areas that will grow food that highlights our local farms, orchards, and beekeepers by giving them opportunities to provide complementary elements, while helping to sustain the edible campus project for years to come.
This large garden is located behind Anderson Hall, and is dedicated to intensive growing practices that showcase a true market garden and its capability to produce a high volume of nutritious food. You will find traditional 30-inch beds and a caterpillar tunnel along with some perennial beds for items such as strawberries, raspberries, and asparagus. This area is not part of the free to pick program, as all items that are grown here will be purchased by Campus Dining services, donated to the Huskie pantry, or used in the student meal prep program.
West side of the library building—there are numerous raised beds growing a multitude of vegetables and beneficial flowers. These beds are free to pick as fruits and vegetables become ripe. Please refrain from picking the flowers.
Northeast corner of the library—raised beds are managed by the NIU STEAM youth camps. These beds are also free to pick as fruits and vegetables become ripe. Please refrain from picking the flowers.
Here you will find a number of raised beds that are dedicated to the Environmental studies program students that are studying sustainable food systems.
A large in-ground bed is managed by First Nation’s Native Alliance and represents indigenous cropping systems from the Midwest.
This program is aimed at giving students the opportunity to utilize some of the fresh food items grown in the Anderson market garden along with other ingredients to prep meals for use during the week. This program will be offered one day a week in partnership with the School of Nutrition and Dietetics. Facilitated in the nutrition kitchens on the 3rd floor of Wirtz hall, students will be coached through meal prepping techniques and tips to produce healthy meals for later use. (Beginning fall 2023)
Please email ediblecampus@niu.edu to learn more about how to help.
For collaborative opportunities or questions about the program please email ediblecampus@niu.edu.