As a living learning community, the Franklin Residential College strives to provide students with new learning and personal growth opportunities outside of our academic, service, and social events. In the past, we have implemented recycling at all events, dorm wide composting, and a compost tumbler outside of Rutherford Hall. Now, the addition of our raised bed garden allows students to engage in personal investment and hands on learning about the food cycle, pollinators, food sustainability, and food justice. The three raised beds that we implemented between Cedar Street and Myers Hall have already yielded amazing student interactions since being planted in late April. At our initial planting event, a dozen students were able to help plant and learn to cultivate tomatoes, Jimmy Nardello peppers, bell peppers, cucumbers, basil, romaine, lettuce, strawberries, and marigolds. Further, over 20 students have been able to help maintain and water the beds! Over the summer, we have harvested produce and shared with FRC members in the Athens community, and we allow members of the Myers Community residing on campus this summer to harvest as they see fit. We are very encouraged by student reactions to the Garden in such a short time and anticipate more positive interactions in the 2021-2022 academic year.

The FRC’s on-site compost tumbler was already “expand[ing] Experiential learning opportunities for all students” (Goal 1.1) in Rutherford when it comes to experiencing hands on sustainability practices, but the Garden has expanded these opportunities immensely. Students who helped plant the garden had the opportunity to learn about planting practices, soil testing, and how the necessary amounts of nitrogen for each plant are found and calculated. After that, students were able to learn about the maintenance of the garden as well as the role of different plants, such as pollinator friendly marigolds. This allowed students to experience the food cycle from production to consumption to compost and back again. Additionally, while we were not able to harvest enough food this semester to share with our community, in the coming semesters we predict we will have more than enough food to support the University’s goal of “Broaden[ing] opportunities for students to engage with the diversity of communities in Georgia and across the nation and world on locally identified needs and issues” (Goal 3.3).

As the semester winds down, the care of the Garden will transfer over to Chera Jo Watts while students are away for the summer, but we are excited to continue planting and harvesting from the Garden for years to come. Already, we have partnered with UGArden to get plant starts for the beds this semester, and we plan to do the same next semester. With more time to grow, and Georgia’s warm weather, we are expecting a bumper crop this fall! The Garden will not only continue physically but will also get its own digital home on the FRC’s website where it demonstrates our commitments to community and sustainability to potential applicants.