A cornucopia of organic produce aims to take a bite out of hunger.<\/h3>\n
By Eastern Magazine<\/strong><\/p>\n
Recent upgrades to the university\u2019s sort-of-secret Sustainability Garden \u2014 already a cornucopia of gorgeous organic produce \u2014 are giving this out-of-the-way plot a more prominent role in helping food-insecure students eat better.<\/p>\n
The changes this season, according to EWU Sustainability Coordinator Erik Budsberg, have been something of a turning point for the garden. This, he says, is chiefly thanks to a redesign that has made it more manageable.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is something anybody can build in their backyard if they have a limited space or want something easy and contained,\u201d Budsberg says.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\u201cWhat we\u2019ve done here is a more traditional row crop,\u201d Budsberg says. \u201cThe garden used to be a lot more spread out, so we took everything and packed it into a tighter area. Before we would have grass and weeds in between the beds and that was just getting too hard for me to manage.\u201d<\/p>\n
Budsberg says the changes aren\u2019t only about weed management; they are also about introducing the campus community to do-it-yourself food production. \u201cWe wanted to showcase two different ways to make food,\u201d he says.<\/p>\nFertile ground for fighting hunger.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
The first way \u2014 crop rows \u2014 are typically bursting with many of the vegetables you would expect: corn, beans, cucumbers, beets, carrots, onions, potatoes, peppers, turnips, tomatoes, squash, zucchini and pumpkins. There are also raspberries, grapes and an orchard with apple and peach trees.<\/p>\n
The second growing method, new to the EWU garden this year, involves raised beds \u2014 essentially large boxes framed with wood or cement block. Filled with composted topsoil, raised beds can help gardeners overcome less-than-perfect soil conditions in their native grounds.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is something anybody can build in their backyard if they have a limited space or want something easy and contained,\u201d Budsberg says.<\/p>\n
Earlier this fall, EWU\u2019s raised beds were packed with lettuce, kale, spinach, chard, broccoli, peas, radishes, turnips and beets. Budsberg says these \u201csalad mix\u201d plants have a shorter growing season and are more frost tolerant.<\/p>\n
The goal, he adds, is to have much of this food ready when the majority of students return to campus. During fall quarter, for example, free food from the garden was distributed via \u201cFresh Market\u201d events that were held on Thursdays in front of the PUB. Anything left over was given to food-pantry cabinets around campus, while more perishable items were forwarded to EWU Dining Services for use in campus meals.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re trying to make something that is really useful for the university,\u201d adds Budsberg. \u201cFor students to be able to use but that also is not a big draw on resources.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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