Spring has finally sprung this year, and with it, gardeners all across the Northern Hemisphere are starting to plant fruits, vegetables, flowers, herbs, and more in their gardens.
Our very own garden is also starting to get ready for the spring and summer seasons. Students taking Gardening this term are working hard to grow a variety of plants for our community to enjoy. The garden, however, would not be in existence without the efforts from Teachers Mike Burns and Keven Lisle.
Burns began to garden in his own home with the assistance of another former faculty member, Tom Zibilich. After a few years, Burns and Zibilich decided that starting a campus garden would be fun and educational for our community.
They joined forces with Lisle and cleared land down the street for a trial garden. After a visit to the Edible Schoolyard in Berkeley, California, Burns and Lisle decided to build the garden closer to our campus. Eventually, they broke ground next to the chapel in 2008.
The first full garden planting was completed in the spring of 2009. Every year since then, the garden has produced all sorts of naturally grown fruits and vegetables.
Our garden also makes a commitment to service by donating a considerable amount of its produce to local food banks each season.
This spring, students taking the Gardening class started the term by sorting seeds for different fruits and vegetables. They then planted the seeds into containers. When the time comes, the seeds will make their way into the ground.
In the meantime, students have been harvesting the last of the carrots and cleaning the garden beds of weeds as a way to prepare for the upcoming season.
From all this hard work, great things can be expected from this year’s spring planting.
