UD students have been learning how hard work pays off in a garden while getting their hands dirty in the course Vegetables, Herbs and Natural Plant Products. On an October afternoon, they planted garlic cloves on the UD Fresh to You Farm just across the road from Worrilow Hall.

Outdoor classroom

Article by Katie Peikes Photos by Evan Krape November 17, 2025

Vegetable science classes give students hands-on experience in growing their own food

If you’ve ever planted a vegetable garden, you know the kind of work it takes.

From preparing the soil, to planting the seeds, watering the plants and harvesting the crops, a lot of effort goes into growing high quality and tasty vegetables.

Around 30 University of Delaware students have been learning how hard work pays off in a garden while getting their hands dirty in the course Vegetables, Herbs and Natural Plant Products (PLSC 302).

On an October afternoon, they planted garlic cloves on the UD Fresh to You Farm just across the road from Worrilow Hall. They worked diligently to separate garlic cloves from the bulbs, spread compost out on the soil and planted the cloves. The newly planted cloves will survive through the winter and form new bulbs with eight to 10 garlic cloves. After the bulbs are harvested, student-run UD Fresh to You will sell them in its weekly farm stand.

“It’s one of those strange crops that’s planted late,” Gordon Johnson, a retired UD Cooperative Extension specialist and adjunct professor who teaches the class each fall, told the students. “We needed to get some cold. It will not produce a bulb if it doesn’t grow over the winter. But if we put it in too early it’s going to produce too much growth.”

Gordon Johnson speaks to his students about planting garlic cloves.

Johnson’s students have grown at least 40 crops this semester — snap peas, radishes, arugula, strawberries and more. Students learn about basic botany. They also learn production techniques to help plants grow, such as irrigation, soil health and pest management.

“There’s no better way to learn than learning by doing. You reinforce your learning,” Johnson said. “You actually grow something, then learn about the biology of the crop, the production of that crop. The thing that will really stick with people throughout their life is when they actually did something hands-on.”

Students harvest the crops and eat many of them on-site or at home. Siena Norcross, a junior food science major, was excited to take home a Daikon radish about the size of her forearm.

“Once I cook it, I’m sure it’ll be pretty good,” Norcross said. “We planted these the first week of school, and it’s exciting to see what it’s become so long afterwards.”

This course is one of three in the UD College of Agriculture and Natural Resources where students roll up their sleeves for hands-on experience growing vegetables and herbs on the UD farm. Johnson also teaches Introduction to Sustainable Food Systems (PLSC 145), a beginner-level course in which students learn how to grow their own food.

Students plant the garlic cloves into the ground. They’ll last through winter and form new bulbs.

Abby Reeves, UD Fresh to You farm manager, teaches Organic and Sustainable Farming (AGRI 100), with a focus on organic and sustainable production systems, how they differ from conventional farming, and how the U.S. food system works.

“It’s important for our students to see that this is really hard work,” Reeves said. “It helps them appreciate a little bit more where their food comes from.”

That’s exactly how Johnson’s course has impacted Norcross, who said she gained a lot more appreciation for her produce and values getting outside and being physically involved in the vegetable and herb-growing process.

“It has taken away the fear between consumption and food,” Norcross said. “I feel closer to the food I eat.”

Tyler Bishop, a senior biological sciences major, said Vegetables, Herbs and Natural Plant Products has made him feel more connected to the outdoors.

Students harvest raspberries. They can take home the fruits and vegetables they harvest.

“This is hard work,” Bishop said. “I never really thought about it, but plants are people, too. You have to care for and nurture them, treat them as if they’re an infant, and you have to let them grow.”

Students learn agriculture often comes with logistical challenges and farmers have to be ready for anything. Sometimes bad weather changes the classes’ plans. On occasion, crops get eaten or infested by animals.

Reeves said rabbits ate the carrots her students planted this semester. Then, black widow spiders took up refuge under landscape fabric covering their sweet potatoes, so Reeves had to harvest them herself and axe that lesson with her students out of caution to prevent students from getting bitten.

“Farming is 80 to 100% problem solving,” Reeves said. “Every day brings a new challenge, but we adapt and learn as we go.”

There are three courses in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources where students roll up their sleeves for hands-on experience growing vegetables and herbs on the UD farm.

The on-farm courses also benefit the community. UD Fresh to You partners with health care organization ChristianaCare, donating produce weekly to the Helen F. Graham Cancer Center and Research Institute for oncology patients to take home.

Last year, UD Fresh to You donated 6,000 pounds of produce to the cancer center. Reeves said the partnership helps bring nutritious food to people who need it. And Fresh to You is always on-site to answer questions about its produce.

“It’s a valuable connection,” Reeves said. “When a consumer goes to the grocery store, they have no idea whose hands the vegetables touched. Being able to connect with the community is important.”

In spring 2026, a new on-farm course joins the array, supplementing the fall courses. Market Farming (PLSC 367) is one more course that will give students hands-on experience on a farm, but it will dig deeper into the economics of running a small market vegetable farm. Students will learn about site selection, tools, starting and saving seeds, and general farm management.