Garden Ecology Lab

Studying the plants, insects, microbes, and decisions that improve or degrade a garden’s ability to promote environmental and human health.

Research

Our current projects focus on native plant - pollinator interactions, microbes in garden soils, urban agriculture and food production, and garden biodiversity. We work directly with gardeners to identify high priority projects that align with our areas of expertise. We are always on the lookout for new projects, but need to consider new projects in the context of current lab capacity, expertise, and funding.

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Teaching 

Teaching is a core component of the Garden Ecology Lab mission. Our group teaches credit, non-credit, and community classes on a variety of topics related to gardening and urban agriculture. Effective and supportive mentoring of undergraduate and graduate students is central to our work.

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From our Blog

Garden Ecology Lab

Garden Ecology Lab Feed

THE ROOTS OF RESEARCH: Part 4 – Doug & Anthony Gordon

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May 4, 2026

The Dedicated Community Members Who Make The Garden Ecology Lab’s Work Possible by Anna Janowski PART 5: DOUG & ANTHONY GORDON From publishing educational materials to heading the Garden Ecology League, the Garden Ecology Lab’s work is firmly rooted in community outreach and engagement. What we do is possible because of the support of the […]

The Roots of Research: Part 3 – Sherry Sheng

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Apr 27, 2026

The Dedicated Community Members Who Make The Garden Ecology Lab’s Work Possibleby Anna Janowski PART 3: SHERRY SHENG From publishing educational materials to heading the Garden Ecology League, the Garden Ecology Lab’s work is firmly rooted in community outreach and engagement. What we do is possible because of the support of the community we serve: […]

The Roots of Research: Part 2 – Common Ground Garden

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Apr 13, 2026

Cover photo: Garden Ecology Lab PhD student Taylor Janecek (left) and undergraduate Reed Manderfield (right) collect data in Common Ground Garden for Janecek’s PhD project. Photo credit: Sara Van Dyck.

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