Visit & Volunteer

Farm drone photo

There are many ways to visit and volunteer at Spring Valley Student Farm! Most people visit the farm first at our classic Farm Friday volunteer hours (see below). If you’d like to schedule a tour or another volunteer time, please reach out to Jessica.larkin-wells@uconn.edu. We would love to show you around!

We host Farm Friday every Friday from 4-6pm during the growing season in both Fall and Spring. This is our signature weekly volunteer opportunity.

  • Fall Semester:  Farm Fridays begin the first Friday of fall semester classes and continue through the last Friday of October.
  • Spring Semester: Farm Fridays begin the first Friday after spring break in March and continue through the end of spring semester classes.

Have fun meeting students from all across campus while engaging in a variety of farming activities including planting seeds, weeding, and harvesting fresh healthy food for our UConn community. This is a great way to earn community service hours! No previous experience is necessary. Remember to dress for outdoor conditions including warm water-repellant footwear.

  • Rain/weather: Farm Friday operates in all weather except thunderstorms. We host semi-indoor activities during rain. In the case of thunder, we will cancel in advance or send folks home.
  • Transportation: The farm is located at 104 Spring Manor Road, about 4.5 from the Storrs campus. All are welcome to drive, carpool, or bike to the farm. We also provide
    • Carpool: The farm is located at 104 Spring Manor Road, behind the house. Please park in the large grassy lot (do not block the driveway). Carpooling volunteers are welcome to arrive and depart anytime between 4pm and 6pm. Our shuttles have limited space, so if you have access to a car, we would love for you to drive over with some friends.
    • Bike: Our recommended biking route.
    • Community Outreach Shuttle: This shuttle is by RSVP only. Find the Farm Friday you want to attend listed on the UConntact Community Service Days page. RSVP early to make sure you get a spot! You will receive an email from the transportation organizers on Friday morning. The shuttle is a minibus driven by Community Outreach staff. This shuttle arrives at the farm promptly at 4pm and departs at 6pm.
    • EcoHouse Vans: This option is primarily for students in the EcoHouse Learning Community. There is no RSVP for the EcoHouse vans. There are two 7-person vans driven by SVSF student farmers between Werth Residence Tower and Spring Valley. The EcoHouse vans pick up from the Werth loading dock on Alumni Drive (satellite image). Van pickups begin around 3:45pm and continue as needed. If a van driver leaves the pickup area after 4pm and doesn’t see anyone else waiting, they won’t come back for another pickup. EcoHouse vans start bringing volunteers back before 6pm so that all the loads can be done by 6:15pm.
  • Questions? Please contact Jessica.Larkin-Wells@uconn.edu or call 203-215-9345. You can also follow us on Instagram @springvalleystudentfarm!

We look forward to seeing you at the farm!

Spring Valley Student Farm welcomes UConn classes, student or community clubs, K-12 school groups, summer camps, and other community members to join us for fun and educational workshops, tours, and volunteering. We welcome groups of all ages from 10 to 50 participants. (For smaller groups during the semester, we suggest you visit during our regular weekly volunteer hours– please see above.)

If you would like more information about visiting the farm with your group, please contact Farm Manager Jessica Larkin-Wells at Jessica.Larkin-Wells@uconn.edu.