A Santa Clara University student chooses tangerines at the Forge Farmstand on Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. **(Nina Glick/The Santa Clara)**

The Forge Garden welcomes Santa Clara University students each Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., offering access to its garden along with hand-grown organic produce and fresh flowers to take home free of charge.

Established in 2008, the Forge Garden remains something of a hidden gem on campus. Many students—particularly first-years—are unaware of the garden, prompting Forge Garden members to focus on building community and increasing its popularity among students.

Staff and student workers noted a goal to improve aesthetics, promotion and the maintenance of the Forge Garden as a relaxing, fun and welcoming place.

“We’ve been trying, through all of our programming, to have more of a presence on campus where students see us and our team,” said Becca Nelson, sustainable food systems program manager for Santa Clara University.

The farmstand on Jan. 30, 2026 had broccoli, radishes, cauliflower, kale, oranges, tangerines, cilantro and flower bouquets made by a volunteer. **(Nina Glick/The Santa Clara)**

Forge Garden’s Charm

The Forge Garden’s charming setting aims to make it relaxing and exciting for the Santa Clara University community.

“It’s really nice for this farm stand to be a place not only to pick up fruits and vegetables, but also to make it part of your routine,” said Sophia Kennedy, sustainability programs specialist at the University. “Bring compost here, hang out with your friends, make it a whole trip and knock many things out at once.”

The Forge Farmstand is donation-based. They request that people pay what they can afford. **(Nina Glick/The Santa Clara)**

Mother Nature’s Nurturing

The garden doesn’t only encourage students to buy frequently at the stand, but to also participate in the sustainability and maintenance of the space. Student workers explain how working at the stand has allowed them to grow, and how it has encouraged them to pursue agricultural and sustainability projects of their own.

“I’ve learned so much about the composting system and learned more about growing my own food. One day I would like to own land so I can have a garden. Having the background knowledge to build my own garden has been great,” said Esania Roscoe ’27. “I’m a management information systems major, so it’s really nice to incorporate sustainability-based on our gear into more of the business world.”

“I did an internship this summer, and I’ve also worked at the farmers markets at San Mateo and Mountain View during the summer,” said Uriel Ramirez ’26. “I’ve learned a lot about agriculture, and I’m an environmental science major, so it kind of fits.”

The Forge Garden is located down the street from Howard S. and Alida S. Charney Hall of Law and Lucas Hall at 1051 Sherman St. (Nina Glick/The Santa Clara)

Beauty in the Growing, Not the Shaping

The Forge Garden wants the community to see the natural beauty of a farm stand. “It’s going to be aesthetically really different to what students are exposed to in the grocery store,” said Nelson.

According to Nelson, the beauty of the produce lies in its quality and growing process rather than its shaping or appearance.

“Even at the farmers market—because this is an organic community—growing food doesn’t always look perfect. There are some holes from bugs. There are different shapes, colors, and sizes. And so part of our mission is to actually get students used to being more comfortable with different aesthetics when it comes to food,” she continued. “We want to break past those stereotypes of how food looks or actually be able to reduce waste and expand people’s eating habits.”