2008 Woodie Awards
Vol State's garden is for the community
Lauren Dickens
Issue date: 10/8/07 Section: News
- Page 1 of 1
|
The garden and greenhouse are located on a one acre lot behind the E. G. Mattox Business Building.
"I love seeing all the colorful flowers on my way to class," said freshman Jessica Shrum.
After the April 2006 tornado damaged Vol State's campus, Lowes and Hometown Heroes chose Vol State as the sight for a new community garden.
"The first workday for the garden was November 16, 2006," said Nancy Morris, associate professor of biology. "About 100 members of the faculty and community came to help."
According to Morris, the volunteers spent time removing non-native species of flowers and cleaning out the creek bed. The Sumner County Master Gardeners visited Vol State last spring to do extensive work to the garden.
Geology Instructor Clark Cropper has helped with placing rocks around the garden and creek. The rocks in the creek will be used for future geology class labs, said Cropper.
The garden has many flowers and vegetables. Some of the flowers in the garden include sulpher cosmos, zinnias, lupen and blanket flowers. Vegetables include bush beans, different varieties of peppers, blue berries and tomatoes.
"Deer seem to like the tomatoes," said Professor of Biology and Greenhouse Manager Jeff Kent.
New compost bins will be added to the garden. The compost will eventually produce rich, healthy soil for the flowers, added Kent.
"Dr. Nichols has been very supportive of the garden," stated Morris.
There will be a workday on October 20. Anyone interested in volunteering, including students and staff, is welcome to help.
Volunteers can work from 9 a.m. - noon or 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.
"We anticipate that the community garden will become a destination," said Morris. "We want to incorporate the community."
In the future, students may be eligible to receive credit hours for gardening.
"We really want it to be a community garden," added Kent.
Be the first to comment on this story