A Brief History of the UT Microfarm

In 2012, Architecture student Daniella Lewis established Microfarm at a one-fifth acre site on Leona St. with funding from the Green Fund, formerly the Green Fee. The Green Fund is a grant program that is funded by student tuition fees ($5 per semester and $2.50 per summer session) to support sustainability projects. Learn more about the Green Fund, including how to apply, deadlines, and past funded projects.

In 2018, we moved from Leona to our new half acre site at the Whitaker Tennis Courts. The transition required lots of time, labor, and love as we rebuilt from an empty lawn. Because the farm is on a floodplain, we built to slow water flow and soil erosion. First, we dug a ditch around the fields and filled it with gravel. Second, we created berms and swales in the fields. Then, we moved the community plots, added two sheds, pulled weeds, built the compost and mulch bays, installed irrigation lines and our rain barrel, planted fruit trees, and set up the learning and xeriscape garden. Learn more on our What’s at the Farm tab. 

In Fall 2019, we planted crops at our new site for the first time! Since the first planting, we grow and harvest produce for the UT Outpost, which is the on-campus food pantry. In 2023, we got a shade structure and F150 Lightning XLT (nicknamed Joan). In 2024, we got a backyard greenhouse and put in 300 ft. of irrigation for the orchard.

Leona St. Site Gallery

Whitaker Site Transformation Gallery