By Sophia Vernon
“These are my potatoes! Pretty much any potatoes that you have in Metz are mine,” said Emily Wahlenmayer, the student caretaker of the campus garden.
Potatoes are just one type of produce that Wahlenmayer, grows for the dining hall.
Wahlenmayer is a junior at Houghton who started as an eco-rep through the Center of Sustainability (CFS) before the summer of 2022. When given the opportunity to stay in Houghton over the summer as the garden intern, she leaped into caring for the campus garden.
“The garden has gotten a bad rap,” she comments, after explaining that for years it was never nurtured or cared for, and in turn never produced any crops of substance.
For the past five months, however, with full decision-making authority over the campus garden, she has curated the garden into a thriving resource for the school.
When asked about the beginning of the campus garden, Wahlenmayer replied with, “[it was started] 4 years ago? 2018…. It’s first year was unproductive, second year was covid, third year was bad interns, fourth year [2022] was me.”
There are a vast array of crops grown in the garden, including tomatoes, kale, three colors of beans, stunning carrots, pumpkins, zucchini, sunflowers, and more..
An assortment of the garden’s crops is used regularly in the dining hall and students have free access to all these resources. During a brief interview with the head of CFS, Brian Webb, he outlined the main goals that inspired the garden to be constructed, and the purpose of continuing the program. Webb expressed the three main goals of the garden as: (1) Providing local produce for the dining hall,(2) Educating students about the importance of local produce, sustainability, and the aspects of caring for a garden, and (3) Providing on campus jobs.
In interviewing a variety of students around campus, the majority have never visited the campus garden or fostered any interest in getting involved. Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors r had deeper negative perspectives than freshmen due to the past reputation of the garden.
In addition to the previously unmanaged nature of the garden, students are hindered by the distance of walking from campus to the garden, which is located next to the college flats.When asked how it would be easier to get involved, sophomore Emily Tam said she would go “If there was a car to take me there. The flats are kind of far.”
With the crest of winter upon us, the last of the harvests from this once neglected garden have come to a close after the most successful season to date. Looking forward, the Houghton campus garden welcomes students to take full advantage of what it has to offer – be it through learning, growing, or eating. ★