Rice community garden breaks ground in new location

Rice community garden breaks ground in new location

FROM RICE NEWS STAFF REPORTS

Rice will break ground on its new community garden plot at the southwest corner of Wiess College in a ceremony Oct. 7 from 1 to 3 p.m.

Participants can pitch in to fill the flower beds with soil and sample organic lemonade made from Rice’s lemon tree. Organic snow cones and other snacks will be served also. The campus radio station KTRU will provide music, and student-designed T-shirts will be available.

PHOTOS.COM

This garden is a volunteer space for all members of the Rice community to learn more about organic gardening. Organic methods are used to control pests and weeds and nourish the soil. The garden’s harvest is donated to campus serveries for use in student meals, which allows students to enjoy the fruits of their labor and gain an appreciation for organic, local food. 

This semester the garden will be used by students in ”Environmental Sustainability: The Design and Practice of Community Agriculture,” a course co-taught by biology professor Jennifer Rudgers and Cohen House director Ann Swain, to learn the fundamentals of community gardening.

In this one-credit course, students design, prepare, plant, maintain and harvest the garden, as well as attend lectures and field trips to successful local community gardens. Rice’s garden was established in 1999 and is sponsored by the Rice Student Volunteer Program and the Center for the Study of Environment and Society, with additional support from Facilities, Engineering and Planning.

Formerly located between the Mudd Lab and Hick’s Kitchen, Rice’s community garden has been relocated at Wiess College because of planned construction.  In addition, an herb garden will be planted behind Sid Richardson College, allowing the chef to have easy access to fresh herbs.

For more information, contact student coordinators Jeremy Caves  at jcaves@rice.edu or Roque Sanchez at roque.t.sanchez@rice.edu or visit the community garden Web site.

Learn more about construction on campus.