On Campus Garden
By: Brea Dupye
The Center for Sustainability at Georgia Southern University has granted the construction of the on campus community garden, located between the Herty building and the Williams Center.
The garden is home to many different vegetables, herbs, and a small plot of flowers.It was brought about when students began to ask for space that allowed them to grow their own things on campus.
Since the start, the garden has now transitioned into being fully operated by students under the supervision of the graduate assistant, Scott Blair.
Every couple of weeks, he has gardening workshops for the student gardeners to learn different gardening aspects.
“We encourage growing mostly food because it is all about sustainable agriculture, and being able to grow your food versus having to buy them from somewhere,” Blair said. "At the Center for Sustainability we promote sustainable practices, and food is one of the main areas we promote that.”
The students are required to have at least a group of four or more in order to have a plot at the garden. There are 8 groups in total, and the plots are divided in and out of the greenhouse. They are also given half of a table inside of the greenhouse to grow things.
Having the combined to the greenhouse gives the students more freedom to come and go as they please when taking care of their products.
“I think gardening is a great way to grow your own food as opposed to buying them. It can not only save you money,but it is also healthier for you and the environment,” junior Shnicquar Fields said.
Aside from the garden, the students have created a compost pile from woodchips and vegetables scraps, and an herb spiral from bamboo. The design of the herb spiral was created by Blair last summer with the intentions to grow more herbs vertically, causing there to be more growth in less amount of space.
At one of the workshops they learned how to sift the compost pile to be broken down into just dirt.
The community garden is currently looking for students taking courses during the summer to help with the garden, and are asked to sign up with a group of four to commit to working on a garden plot.
Students can sign up for the summer season by emailing the Center for Sustainability at, cfs@georgiasouthern.edu.
Photos courtesy of Kiana Colquitt
DIY: Homemade Hot Compost
Follow these steps to create your own compost for your garden. Keep in mind that your compost will take longer than a month to compost.
By Kiana Colquitt
What you need
Fruit Scraps
Vegetable Scraps
Eggshells
Coffee Grinds
Dry Leaves
Finely Chopped Wood
Pieces of Newspaer
Pine Straw
What to do
1. Wait until you have enough materials to make a compost pile of at least 3 feet in depth.
2. Create alternating layers of green and brown materials. Make them at least 4 inches deep.
3. Sprinkle water over the compost pile regularly. But not too much! Too much water will cause your compost to rot instead of compost.
4. Check the temperature of your compost to see if it is properly decomposing. Place a thermometer in the pile or just reach into the pile with your hand. It should feel warm. Do this daily.
5. Make sure you turn or toss your pile once a week with a garden fork. This gives the pile oxygen which is necessary for effective composting.
6. When the pile is no longer hot and has become brown and dry, it has effectively decomposed and is now ready for use in your garden.
Recipe courtesy of bhg.com
Click HERE for more garden tips!
Just Peachy: GA Farming Statistics
By Kiana Colquitt
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Georgia is #1 in the nation in production of peanuts, chickens, pecans, and blueberries!
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GA agricultural producers sold more than $9.2 billion worth of agricultural products in 2012!
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There are more than 42,000 farms in the state of GA!
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One in Seven Georgians work in agriculture, forestry, or a related field!
Informatioan provided by 2012 Census of Agriculture and Georgia Farm Bureau
GSU Faculty Member with Secret Green Thumbs
By Kiana Colquitt
