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CAMPUS COMMUNITY GARDEN THRIVING DURING EARLY SUMMER MONTHS
 Even
though the Houston heat and humidity is in full effect this
summer, the Campus Community Garden is still prospering,
producing organic vegetables and herbs for donation to a local
food pantry. Located in the Cougar Woods next to the site for
the new residential dining hall on the west side of campus, the
garden serves not only as a resource for produce, but also
provides a place of relaxation and learning for campus
volunteers.
This summer, the garden is growing corn, cucumbers, basil, bush
and gita beans, cherry tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, onion
scallops, sweet potatoes and sugarcane. Sarah Clouse, student
supervisor for the Office of Sustainability, oversees the daily
care and coordination of activities for the Campus Community
Garden. Each day, she waters the garden by hand using a 100-foot
garden hose that hooks up to the irrigation system. She said the
recent rains have also helped to keep the soil wet underneath.
“We have been producing a lot of cherry tomatoes and cucumbers
lately– they are loving this weather!” Clouse said.
They recently donated 52 pounds of cucumbers and 4 to 5 pounds
of cherry tomatoes to the Manna House, a local food bank near
Texas Southern University. Donations are made once to twice a
week to the Manna House depending on the production of the
garden.
Although the garden lost four beds temporarily due to
construction of the new dining hall and experienced some
flooding issues at the beginning, the issue has been resolved
and the beds will be rebuilt once construction is complete.
Clouse said she hopes students will be courteous of the garden
by picking up any litter once the dining hall opens and will
enjoy the aesthetic and intellectual qualities the garden brings
to the campus landscape.
“I hope that the community of UH has at least one opportunity to
come and check out the garden while they are here. It is a
really special and beautiful place on campus. I think that
learning how and why to garden organically is very important for
our future, not only for a healthier lifestyle, but for our
community and to help Houston become greener,” Clouse said.
Future gardening events are scheduled for July 22
and August 5 from 1 p.m. – 5 p.m.
For more information on the Campus Community Garden and to
receive news on upcoming events, become a Campus Community
Garden
Facebook fan.
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