Community garden comes to life at UNE
University of New England broke ground on an organic, community garden on May 6. Conceived of by students in the Environmental Interest Pod, a living and learning community for freshmen students, the community garden will be brought to life this summer with the help of faculty and staff at UNE.
The students gained support for the garden concept throughout the winter and looked to several departments within the University for partnerships including Facilities, Residence Life, Dining Services and the student internship program. While they received favorable feedback, the issue of hiring labor throughout the summer was a barrier.
A group of five faculty members came forward in March offering to farm a community plot in exchange for a plot to grow their own vegetables. Alethea Cariddi, Sustainability Coordinator at UNE, networked the two groups and a partnership was formed. Cariddi said, "Each group had something to offer the other - a perfect example of building community around food. It's a really nice model to get a garden started on campus."
Dubois Livestock in Lyman donated 60 cubic yards of topsoil, with shellfish compost and manure, to the project. The topsoil was delivered, in three dump trucks on the last day of finals, as Environmental Pod students and faculty and staff garden members watched. Spirits were high, despite the rain, as the rich, dark loam was poured into the garden beds. Rick Dubois offered, "It's great to join UNE in this project. Wait until everyone sees the vegetables they’ll grow in this soil!"
The student plot, 12 by 15 feet, will grow squash and pumpkins, which the students look forward to harvesting in the fall upon return to campus. They plan to use the pumpkins for the Community Harvest Celebration in October. The student plot will also produce lettuce, cucumbers and a variety of culinary herbs, which they plan to donate to the cafeteria.
Environmental stewardship is a core value at UNE. The community garden will provide a green space to enjoy nature, provide an on-site location for interested faculty and staff members to grow their own food, and raise community awareness of the importance of local food production.