Haylie Berkland
Contributing Writer
The NCC community garden, located off of Loomis Street, was established about five years ago by the North Central College administration. According to Brittany Graham, who leads and oversees the garden, the administration noticed a few other campuses having such gardens and “saw all the benefits it could have for NCC.” Graham said that it has been in the last two years that these gardens have been established on nearly all college campuses.
Of the 25 plots of land in the garden, about half of them are used by students and other community members as their own space to produce their personal gardens. The other half of the plots is maintained by student volunteers and grounds crew members. These sections produce vegetables that are used to prepare meals for students. In this way, the garden produces an “organic, sustainable harvest for students to eat,” explained grounds crew staff member and gardener Edward Niebur.
“On average, your food travels about 1,500 miles to get to your plate,” Graham said. “Once the food is picked it starts losing nutrients. So the food we get from the garden only has to travel across Jefferson Plaza, not across the country.”
According to Graham, who is also the sustainability coordinator at the College, there are no synthetic fertilizers or pesticides used in any part of the garden. Even those who have personal plots in the garden are asked not to use these.
Overall, the garden produces the same vegetables every season, including tomatoes, carrots, and cauliflower. However, the variety of these stable vegetables often changes from year to year. For example, they might plant purple cauliflower instead of the traditional white.
Niebur and Graham explained that the garden also offers a sense of community and accomplishment as students work together to create and maintain the garden.
With the new science center building being placed where the garden currently resides, it will be moved after this year’s harvesting season to Ward Residence Hall. Graham explained that she hopes to have business up and running in the new location by this spring.
Meetings to plan for the community garden are held at the beginning of each planting season. Contact Brittany Graham or email sustainability@noctrl.edu for more information or volunteering opportunities.
