UGArden

I had the opportunity to visit a place this week

 that my husband has been telling me about for a long time.

It's an unassuming place;

even if you live in Athens, 

you could drive down South Milledge Avenue

and not really notice it.

But it's there--

right between the State Botanical Gardens

and the Livestock Areana.

Really impressive things are happening there.

It's called UGArden.

 For years, UGA students had been asking for a working vegetable garden on campus.

A couple of years ago, my husband's office helped to link a group of enthusiastic students

with an experienced group of Master Gardeners.

The Dean of the Ag School (College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences)

agreed to give them this piece of land to start their garden.

It began with one plot and has now grown to three.
An orchard has been added.

Professors from many different majors

 take their classes there to plan, plant, draw, and design.

Student volunteers log countless hours 

working and learning.
Degree programs have been added.

Last year, over 1,000 pounds of produce was donated

to the North Georgia Food Bank.
Involved students contribute to programs like Grandparents Raising Grandchildren
and are planning to start a CSA on campus.
They are even helping a refugee family from Myanmar
raise produce on a smaller plot
to feed their family and make money.

There are bee hives, too.

One of the first structures added was a greenhouse.

The tank on the right houses about 150 tilapia.

The tank is connected to a filtering system which travels 

hydroponically through multiple vegetable and herb pots.

As the water sustains the plants, it is filtered.

At the end of the line,

the cleaned water returns to the tank.

So the fish waste acts as fertilizer for the plants,

the plants are watered

and the water is cleaned by the plants.

An incredible symbiotic relationship.

Plus, there's a harvest of fish and veggies!

Basil and cucumbers are loving this set up.

How great is this?!

But that's not all...

There's a really cool grad student working on his thesis at UGArden.

His name is Chris McDowell

and his whole concept is about building outdoor structures

using materials from building demolitions

and waste from new construction projects on campus.

This is one of three tool sheds that he has built on the property.

The walls are made from a variety of different boards,

all initially headed for the landfill.

There are scraps of new lumber sitting next to

100 year old boards from Memorial Hall

and other campus renovations.

The finished effect is beautiful,

if you ask me.

It's artful and creative,

resourceful and lovely.

I would love to have something at my house built like this--

a shed, a wall of a room, or even a headboard!

This is Chris standing next to a raised bed he built. 

The sides are made from pallet wood.

We think this could be a great business-

design/build from recycled materials.

He is not interested in that, though.

He'd love to use this as an education medium

for future classes.

And how awesome is that?

I think once people learn about and understand this concept,

the mindset of construction could be totally changed.

Like recycling bins at your house for paper and glass,

construction and demolition sites could have separate bins 

for materials that can be repurposed.

It might take a little longer and require a bit more thinking,

but imagine the money and landfill space 

that could be saved!

It makes perfect sense.

Here is Chris' scrap pile.

It does take time to pilfer through job sites and dumpsters 

retrieving things

and removing nails to ready the wood.

But once it's in this pile,

let the creativity begin!

It's like a giant pile of Legos just waiting to be constructed 

into a masterpiece.

Hadley would LOVE this!

This is yet another project at UGArden.

Do you know what these are?

They are shitake mushroom logs!

Students working on this project use freshly fallen trees

(from storms or job site removal),

and drill holes in the sides.

Mushroom spores are mixed with sawdust

and packed into the holes, 

then the holes are sealed with a thin layer of wax.

They are irrigated from above.

Quite a simple system!

Shitakes are fairly expensive to buy

but are easy to grow and require little space.

This model is used to show farmers how they could easily add this 

to their crops to increase their income.

I might like to try it at our house!

(Unfortunately, all the grown mushrooms had been harvested

before we got there, so no photos to share.)

This barn was completely forgotten and overgrown

 before the students got this property.

They have worked hard to clear it and it is now a great asset to their space.

It is so impressive to see these students given the space to explore their ideas.

The college years are a unique time of life-
a time when idealistic thoughts are coupled with youthful energy
and (often) without the demands of a job or family.
A time to attempt to put these visions into practice.

How incredible to be able to see their thoughts come to life

with brain power and sweat.

(I LOVE that gate!)

In the midst of it, we all benefit.

We all learn.

Our community is made better because of it.

Life in a college town can be very inspiring!