NMSU Student Gardens

Student Research and Education Gardens

Established in 2012, the Student Research and Education Gardens ("Student Gardens") is a two-acre certified organic farm located on the main campus of New Mexico State University. The garden provides experiential learning opportunities and hands-on education for students, faculty, staff, and the surrounding community. Research conducted at the site focuses on organic and sustainable agricultural systems suited to New Mexico and the desert Southwest.

View Field Map (PDF)
Sign at the entrance of the Student Research and Education Gardens

Learning Through Practice

Students working in the Student Research and Education Gardens study crop performance, soil health, and desert-adapted agricultural systems in a hands-on setting. The garden supports teaching and research while providing a controlled and accessible outdoor learning environment.

Students also participate in community service by growing between 1,500 and 2,000 pounds of fresh vegetables each year that are donated to the Aggie Cupboard food pantry.

Faculty Contact
Dr. Richard Pratt
Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences
Email: ricpratt@nmsu.edu
Phone: (575) 646-1037
Student harvesting pumpkins in the garden

Sustainable and Organic Production

Organic production practices in the garden emphasize biodiversity and pollinator support. Rows of flowering plants are planted to attract bees, butterflies, and beneficial predatory insects that assist with natural pest management.

These flowering plantings provide pollen, nectar, and shelter throughout the season. Sunflowers and zinnias—shown in the gallery below—are especially popular with pollinators.

Published Research
Pratt, R.C., B.J. Schutte, O.J. Idowu, M. Uchanski and L. Grant. 2022. Fall-sown small grain cover crops for weed suppression and soil moisture management in an irrigated organic agroecosystem. Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems. Read the publication
Huffman, R., et al. 2018. Maize Cultivar Performance under Diverse Organic Production Systems. Crop Science. Read the publication
Hilborn, S., Petersen, M., Pratt, R.C. 2021. Late summer organic tomato production with heat tolerant tomato cultivars. Australian Journal of Crop Science. Read the publication
Montgomery, R.W., et al. 2021. Rediscovering “Mexican June” — A nearly extinct landrace maize variety. Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution. Read the publication

NMSU Newsroom

NMSU Student Gardens prioritizes student health, education

Read the NMSU Newsroom article

Diverse sorghum varieties from the USDA germplasm collection
Diverse sorghum varieties from the USDA germplasm collection.
Fresh okra harvested from the Student Gardens
Okra grown in the garden and donated to the Aggie Cupboard.
Sunflowers planted in the pollinator row
Sunflowers in the pollinator habitat row.
Millet varieties grown in the garden
Millet varieties from the USDA germplasm collection.
Fall squash varieties growing under cowpea cover crop
Fall squash shaded by cowpea cover crop.
Zinnia flower hosting a native pollinator butterfly
Zinnia flower hosting a native pollinator.