Using tomatoes to teach and lettuce to learn
Students Zeinab Rahal, Mikaela Lui and Mike Lee help plant fruits, vegetables and herbs in McMaster's new teaching and community garden. The garden is located near the General Sciences Building and can be booked by volunteer groups who wish to help till and weed.
A teaching and community garden first outlined in a student project was opened near the General Sciences Building Tuesday.
Volunteers gathered to distribute soil and mulch and begin planting fruits, vegetables and herbs, which will be sold at the Mac Farmstand.
The garden will also provide teaching and learning opportunities for students and community members.
The project is a partnership between the University’s sustainability office, the McMaster Students Union, the Faculty of Science and others. It was first conceived by student Mike Lee, while working on a University sustainability internship.
“The garden will be a place where people from across campus can come together to work towards a common goal,” said Julianne Bagg, a student in the Integrated Science Program who, along with Emily Taylor, established the planning foundation for the project. “It will connect the Faculty of Science to all the other faculties. The MSU, students and staff will all be working together.”
The garden is located on the north side of the General Sciences Building, across from the Refectory. Weekly volunteer gardening sessions will take place throughout the growing season and workshops are anticipated to being in August.
If you’d like to book time in the garden for your class or community group, click here.
