New Community Garden sprouts at Chapman Grand

Photos Courtesy of Jenny Kaufman (Photo Collage by Emily Paris, Photo Editor)

Grab your watering buckets, seeds and potting tools because a new community garden has sprouted at Chapman Grand which provides students the ability to grow their own produce. The new addition comes from a partnership between the Office of Sustainability and the Student Government Association (SGA) which added six new gardening beds in one of Chapman Grand’s outdoor courtyards.

The proposal for a new community garden at Chapman Grand was introduced to the SGA after the Office of Sustainability suggested that the Grand courtyards offered ample space for such a project. Funding for the garden was provided by Chapman’s Green Fund, a joint initiative between SGA and Facilities Management that supports sustainability projects aimed at fostering an eco-friendly environment on campus.

“Adding that communal gardening space, we thought would be a good opportunity to get people connected and get to enjoy local homegrown produce,” said Jenny Kaufman, the energy conservation and sustainability manager for the Office of Sustainability. 

The new community garden at Chapman Grand has six raised garden beds that are available for students to reserve. Students have the opportunity to share garden beds with friends or other gardeners in their community. 

The community gardens started at the Davis Quad at Chapman University in 2013 and opened as an educational space to be shared by students, staff and faculty. Today, the garden beds are reserved exclusively for students, allowing them to connect more closely with the food they consume and provide access to a personal outdoor space that they otherwise lack in their dorms.

“There's something about being able to go outside, walk a couple steps outside, come back with fresh ingredients and know that you grew them and you took the time… it’s really fulfilling and really rewarding to see the hard work pay off that way,” said avid gardener Abigail Halling, who is a junior anthropology major.

The new beds at Chapman Grand aren’t only there to foster gardening, but there is hope that their presence could create a closer community for the residents of Chapman Grand whose distance can make it harder for students to connect to campus life.

“SGA hopes that the Grand Community Garden allows students to engage in environmental practices while creating a sense of community at Chapman Grand,” said Elizabeth Delli, the SGA public relations representative and a junior majoring in public relations, advertising and entertainment marketing.

In order to foster this sense of community on campus, the Office of Sustainability hosts events at the garden that give students a chance to connect. In the past, these events have included educational workshops on plants and gardening techniques. Students interested in participating should mark their calendars for the upcoming Community Garden Party on Monday, Sept. 16, from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m.

Halling highlights the strong sense of connectedness within the gardens, saying, "We have a big group chat with all the gardeners, and someone will be like, 'Hey, I'm at the gardens right now. Does anyone need their bed watered?' ... It's just a nice little community like that.”

The Office of Sustainability will also be introducing demo beds at both the Davis and Grand community gardens this semester. Students who may not have a bed reserved will be able to grow their own seeds during events in the demo beds and throughout the year any students will be able to utilize the fresh herbs or produce growing out of the demo boxes. 

The Office of Sustainability envisions expanding community gardens to additional campus locations, building partnerships with local growers and gardening experts such as Orange Home Grown—a nonprofit committed to restoring people's connection to a healthy, sustainable food system—and fostering a stronger, healthier Panther community, one seed at a time.