Community garden with gravel paths and raised beds in front of a red-brown building

The UC Davis Edible & Sensory Garden Experience

This small collection of campus gardens reveal a delicious side of UC Davis: gardens as working spaces rather than ornamental landscapes. They show a different side of how agriculture, ecology, and sustainability are taught in everyday campus life. 

Landscapes that feed us

These gardens show how plants are used across UC Davis not only for display, but for teaching, food systems, and ecological function. Each site offers a different lens — from food production and student learning to sensory experience and pollinator habitat — forming a small but distinct set of garden experiences across campus.

 

Smiling woman in cap holding bright orange persimmons at outdoor farm stand with produce tables

UC Davis Student Farm
A 23-acre working farm and teaching space where UC Davis students grow vegetables, flowers, herbs, and pollinator gardens while learning about sustainable agriculture, food systems, and ecological land management. Depending on the season, you may see market gardens, orchards, flower fields, educational gardens, greenhouses, pollinator habitat plantings, and student-led farming projects connected to sustainability and food production.

The farm reflects UC Davis’ long-standing connection to agriculture, environmental research, and hands-on field education. 

Learn more about the Student Farm


Modern glass office building with colorful flower beds and pathway at dusk

The Good Life Garden
Located at the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science, the Good Life Garden is an edible demonstration garden featuring vegetables, herbs, flowers, pollinator plantings, and seasonal landscaping. The garden reflects UC Davis’ connections to agriculture, sustainability, food science, and culinary education, and is designed as both a public landscape and a teaching space.

Learn more about The Good Life Garden.


Painted giant bee sculpture atop colorful mosaic pedestal in misty garden

UC Davis Bee Haven Garden
A half-acre pollinator garden focused on bees and beneficial insects, featuring flowering plants selected to support pollination, biodiversity, and ecological health throughout the year. The garden serves as both a public educational space and a research and outreach site connected to pollinator conservation and sustainable gardening practices.

You may see native bees, honeybees, butterflies, and other pollinators among plantings chosen for nectar, pollen, seasonal bloom cycles, and habitat value. The garden also demonstrates practical ways to create pollinator-friendly landscapes in home gardens and community spaces.

Learn more about the Bee Haven Garden.

 

How to use this

These gardens are scattered across campus and can be visited individually rather than as a single route. You can explore one or combine them depending on your interests and available time.

  • Visit one site for a short stop (15–25 minutes) or combine more gardens, if you have time.
  • Expect a mix of food production, sensory design, and ecological planting.
  • Some areas may have limited access or seasonal variation.