The WCU Campus Kitchen Garden is a student-supported organic plot that donates fresh vegetables to local groups that fight hunger. The 30' x 70' plot is located behind the WCU baseball field. The garden is maintained primarily by WCU students and staff, but volunteers from the community are also welcome to participate. The primary focus of the garden is to provide an opportunity for students to learn about organic gardening practices and to help meet the nutritional needs of community members.
We have regular work days during the growing season. If you are interested in helping with the garden, please contact us at servicelearning@wcu.edu or 828-227-7184.
Project Goals:
- To provide resources to help combat hunger and meet nutritional needs in local communities
- To expand the University's partnership with social service agencies in Western North Carolina
- To create a new opportunity for students to apply academic knowledge and skills in a real-world setting and learn such values as collaboration, patience, and a sense of caring
Crops:
- We grow a variety of vegetables, including beans, beets, cabbage, carrots, corn, cucumbers, lettuce, onions, peas, peppers, potatoes, radishes, squash, tomatoes, and turnips.
Participating students will have the opportunity to learn a variety of gardening skills, including:
- Preparing the soil
- Constructing garden beds
- Growing plants from seed
- Transplanting seedlings
- Making compost
- Applying mulch
- Employing organic pest management techniques
- Conserving water and developing watering systems
- Drawing up a calendar for gardening through the seasons
- Crop rotation principles
Campus Kitchen Garden Club of WCU
The Campus Kitchen Garden Club was recognized as an official student organization in Fall 2010. Fifteen charter members held their first meeting on September 8, 2010.
The goal of the club is to support the Campus Kitchen Garden, which provides a sustainable source of nutrition for members of the surrounding community. All of the food grown in the garden is organic and the use of pesticides is strictly forbidden. Club members use organic practictices to control weeds, fertilize the garden, and manage insects and other pests. The club’s initial task was to clear out overgrowth from the summer season, and to plant crops to be harvested later in the fall and winter.
There are two garden workdays each week, and club members are still being recruited. Interested students should contact the president, Anja Nothdurft at abn0919@gmail.com or the advisor, Derald Dryman at dadryman@email.wcu.edu.