Your PVCC Garden Needs You
Recently planted seeds will sprout soon in preparation for the annual Spring Planting planned for April 22 in PVCC’s garden. It will require many helping hands. Horticulture and Environmental Club advisor David Lerman hopes students will know that the garden is for them. He said, “Perhaps between classes or during breaks they could visit or work in the garden to clear their heads, reduce stress and breathe some fresh air.”
Started in 2007, PVCC’s Horticulture & Environmental Club was formed to provide students and community members with an organic garden to learn about environmentally-sound horticulture and sustainable practices. Each year produce from the garden is donated to local food banks in the Central Virginia community.
Because the number of students is significantly reduced during the summer, maintenance is especially needed when the plants are growing and producing the most. Anyone who remains local and helps maintain the garden gets to take home some of the harvest because it is so abundant. What better way is there to get fresh, organic produce and vitamin C in exchange for a little physical energy?
Vice President Jonathan Dean of the Horticulture & Environment Club said, “Our garden continues to grow every year, with both members of the Horticulture & Environment Club and volunteers from the community working to keep it looking great.” Several groups from UVA and local businesses have volunteered their time throughout the years to help with weeding, planting, harvesting, and general maintenance. Recent additions to the garden are the result of projects from several student groups. In the spring of 2014, students from PVCC chose the garden as the site for their SciTE scholarship project. A roof was built over the existing water tank to collect rainwater and a solar panel was installed on the roof of the shed to power the system that keeps the beds watered automatically.
In the fall of 2014, volunteers from UVA’s APO service fraternity raised over $4,000 and brought about one hundred workers to build the new hoop houses, as well as tackling many other maintenance projects. Hoop houses are the modified A-shaped wire frames lined up in the garden, which will be wrapped with plastic to extend the growing season. Dean said, “The hoop houses should be getting the plastic skin soon . . .”
Even with all this help, however, much of the harvest is lost every year. Let us make sure none of it ever goes to waste again. The garden needs us. The community needs our garden. We can be part of the solution to restore balance to our food and to the environment.
More information is available on the Horticulture & Environment club page, Facebook page and blog. To volunteer in PVCC’s gardens, email dlerman@pvcc.edu or call 434.961.5430.
