Two years ago, the Mercy Garden was an idea. One year ago, it consisted of two raised beds behind Georgian Court University's St. Catherine residence hall. This summer, there are 12 raised beds and a fence to keep out deer and groundhogs.
The goal is to have 30 beds within a few years, plus a perennial garden, herbs, a 50-seat classroom, benches, a composting area, native plants, bushes, and a few trees in the 7,660-square-foot garden.
Louise Wootton, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Biology and director of sustainability, is the brains behind the project, with help from Richard Mohr, a former Rutgers Cooperative Extension Ocean County agricultural agent and current GCU lecturer in biology.
The goals of the Mercy Garden are to provide food for local food banks and charities, to demonstrate sustainable agricultural practices within the community, and to teach participants to grow food for themselves and others within the community, as well as building a sense of community among participants. The garden is being built with donations and fees from workshops, including two upcoming ones:
- Sept. 14: "Land Care for Healthy Water," 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., $25. Examination of sustainable options for water use and land management that support the healthy functioning of both human and natural ecosystems.
- Oct. 5: "Creating and Using Healthy Learning Environments: Engage and Learn through the Mercy Garden Community," 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., breakfast, lunch included, $100. Primarily for educators, how to use outdoor environments in formal, informal, and home-school settings to support service learning, project-based group and individual learning, scientific research, and artistic expression.
Reservations are required for both workshops, and can be made by contacting the GCU Office of Conferences and Special Events at 732.987.2263 or specialevents@georgian.edu.
"I see the garden as big part of the Georgian Court community," says Dr. Wootton. "A garden is a tool to do higher good. It's part of the core values of the Mercy mission and will serve as a teaching model on how a community garden grows. I hope it becomes part of a larger collective of community gardens. We can help needy families and educate people about organic growing."
Students from various departments also are involved. Marketing students helped brand the Mercy Me Salsa made from garden vegetables for fund-raising, art students designed the salsa labels and garden logo, and psychology students are studying the impact of working in a garden on stress levels.
"The garden is a combination of sustainable practices in land care and the heart of service and compassion and community engagement," says Mr. Mohr. "We hope students will continue to choose to work together on service learning projects in the garden and extend that impact out into the community."
