Forget to pack a lunch? Need a coffee between classes? Grab a Bite is our three-part series sharing the best places to eat on and around campus. This edition covers the student gardens, part of the College’s Sustainable Agriculture program!
Did you know that we have two different garden initiatives at the College? Sustainable Agriculture is an initiative sponsored by the Masters in Environmental and Sustainability Studies. The program manages and operates multiple student gardens, including a large garden at the Stono River Preserve and three urban gardens at downtown campus.
Student Garden at Stono River Preserve:
The College of Charleston at Stono River Preserve is an 881-acre property along the scenic Stono River in Hollywood, SC. The Stono River Preserve houses the largest student garden at the College, covering a little over 3-acres. It operates as a living classroom, teaching organic farming techniques without the assistance of large-scale farming equipment, as well as supporting education and research in biology, geology, environmental studies, education, communication, history, business, and many other disciplines.
Much of the produce grown at the Student Garden at Stono River Preserve is donated to community partners in the Lowcountry region, such as the South Carolina Aquarium, One80 Place, Destiny Community Café, and the Stone Soup Collective. However, students can get involved and harvest from these gardens after volunteering with the garden. Interested students can sign up to volunteer here, where they will learn the best harvesting techniques, how to know when a produce item is ready for harvest, and other gardening tips from the Student Garden dedicated student-led staff.
Urban Gardens on Downtown Campus:
At our downtown campus, the College hosts three different urban gardens that are available for student use in harvesting and for educational purposes. There is a produce garden, a pollinator garden, and an herb garden! Interested students can sign up to volunteer here to participate in garden work days downtown, as well as learn about workshops and other educational series.
Warren Place Garden (20 Warren Place, in the student parking lot):
The largest of the three urban gardens, the Warren Place garden is home to vegetable beds, herbs, and flowers. Produce available varies throughout the year and includes items like basil, watermelon, peppers, collard greens, kale, and squash. There’s even a vermicomposting project, and students can bring their home compost to this pile for composting! Just look for the blue bin.
Political Science Herb Garden (114 Wentworth Street):
The garden between the political science department buildings are for herbs and spices of all sorts! With a bed each devoted to medicinal, kitchen, and women’s empowerment, this garden functions as an educational excursion into the various herbal and spice plants and encourages students to discover how these plants affect our bodies and health.
College Way Pollinator Garden (7 College Way):
While pollinator plants dominate this garden space, the College Way Pollinator Garden has some plants ready for harvest as well! Given to the program in Spring 2017, this space has been transformed into a pollinator paradise, complete with fruits and herbs in additional to pollinator species.
Interested in learning more about the Student Gardens, contact Lucy Davis at davislh@cofc.edu. Volunteer opportunities are available here. To learn more, visit https://mes.cofc.edu/sustainable-agriculture/index.php.
