Campuses across the country have been creating edible campus programs to support community well-being and cooperative land management while enjoying the fruits of everyone’s labor. This interdisciplinary program will introduce students to the knowledge and skills needed to collaboratively manage Evergreen’s edible campus that spans our 3-acre organic farm and community gardens. This program is suited for students with broad intellectual curiosity who are ready to take on individual and group responsibilities while learning leadership and dynamic governance skills, project planning, data collection and quantitative analysis, horticultural sciences, and food production practices. Additionally, there will be a significant field practicum component to this program, regardless of weather. We will spend a significant amount of time outdoors as we learn organic farm and garden operations and distribute fresh produce within the campus food system. Students will need sufficient and appropriate gear to be comfortable outdoors in the highly variable Pacific Northwest weather conditions.
Fall quarter will introduce students to our edible campus sites while learning about soils, nutrient cycling and composting, annual and perennial crop diversity, and harvesting and preparing produce for the campus food bank and market stand. Data collection, analysis and management will be introduced while students collaborate using spreadsheets and Microsoft Teams software to assess the growing season and begin planning the next annual cycle.
Winter quarter we will deepen our understanding of systems thinking, participatory management, community-building, and campus wellness to bring forward a student-centered vision for an edible campus unique to The Evergreen State College. This will play out as we continue the crop planning process and select site improvement projects for the coming year as part of learning project planning and implementation within an institutional setting. In applied horticulture we’ll learn about dormant season plant care and propagation techniques along with how to select plant communities to support human nutrition and well-being goals. Greenhouse management and season extension growing techniques will support learning about early season planting.
Spring quarter will focus on practicing leadership skills and managing team-based projects to prepare planting areas, plant crops, begin harvesting, and practice regenerative land management across production systems including intensive annual crops, perennial fruits, and food forests. Students will also be introduced to market and community garden design and management while focusing on leadership structures, budgets, fundraising, utilities, fencing, water and irrigation systems, soil fertility, accessibility, pathways, plant selection, and design documents.