Williams Sustainable Garden Project
First Annual Report (2010-2011)
[Condensed Version]
Introduction
The Williams Sustainable Garden Project and Williams Sustainable Growers (WSG) student organization were founded in the spring of 2010. The Williams Sustainable Growers are responsible for planning and maintaining the Williams Sustainable Garden Project, which began with the establishment of the Parsons Garden and revival of the Kellogg Garden in April 2010. The Presidential Garden was established in the yard next to the President’s House in October 2010, and Kellogg Garden will be closed as of April 2011 due to the renovation of Stetson Library.
The project has been tremendously successful so far in both producing delicious food, and significantly increasing involvement, awareness and interest on campus in sustainable food and agriculture. Over 175 different varieties of vegetables and herbs have been grown or are growing in the three gardens and are harvested for individual student use, group events, dining halls, and food bank donations. Membership and participation in WSG has increased dramatically during its first year as a student group, and partnerships have developed with other campus and community organizations. Thanks to dedication and enthusiasm from the student body as well as support from the Zilkha Center for Environmental Initiatives, the Center for Environmental Studies, College Council, Dining Services, the Falk family, and many faculty and staff, the Williams Sustainable Garden Project is headed towards increased outreach and involvement with the entire Williams community and future physical and organizational expansion.
The WSG Organization
The planning and coordinating of the gardens is handled by the 6- to 12-person Williams Sustainable Growers Executive Committee, which has expanded to include various subcommittees, and membership in the Williams Sustainable Growers is open to all Williams College students, faculty, staff, and community members. The Executive Committee manages planning and financial records through a Google account, [email protected]. The director of the Zilkha Center Sustainable Food and Agriculture Program, Katharine Millonzi, serves as an advisor to WSG.
Members of WSG can participate in a variety of capacities, from attending work parties to planning other events and planting. Only the 6-12 members of the Executive Committee meet weekly, but [thegarden] listserv has 390 members who receive weekly updates and important information about the garden project.
Garden Information
The Parsons garden consists of 16 raised beds in two rows of 8 (12 constructed in the spring of 2010 and 4 added in the fall). Plastic hoop tunnels cover 14 of the 16 beds, which extend the growing season as they store heat from the sun and released from the soil during the day to protect the plants when temperatures drop at night. The former CES garden, the Kellogg Garden, was revived in spring 2010 by clearing, digging up, and re-planting the overgrown site but leaving perennial plants which were still growing. The Kellogg garden was revived with the understanding that the space was only usable until construction began on the Stetson/Sawyer library; with construction resuming in 2011, the garden was closed after one season of revived use. The Presidential Garden, generously donated by the Falk family, consists of a 25’x18’ space divided into six long rows. Planter barrels will provide space for growing fresh herbs outside of all the dining halls beginning in Spring 2011.
Between the Parsons, Kellogg, and Presidential gardens, an extremely wide variety of vegetables, herbs, and fruits are grown year-round: salad and cooking greens (such as kale, pac choi, and mustard greens), carrots, onions, radishes, beets, tomatoes, potatoes, squash, peppers (sweet and hot), peas, garlic, wheat, annual and perennial herbs, and fruit bushes. From the end of May 2010 through 7/28/2010, the garden produced about 280 lbs of vegetables and herbs. Approximately 160 lbs of produce were harvested in the fall of 2010. Food is harvested for use by individuals and groups, dining halls, special events, and donations.
The primary seed source for the Williams Sustainable Garden Project in 2010 was Johnny’s Selected Seeds. The WSG also happily received any seeds or plants contributed by members of the organization and surrounding community. In the spring of 2011, WSG focused on ordering interesting, organic, heirloom varieties from smaller, independent companies (ideally in the nearby region). WSG has a tool-shed at the Parsons garden stocked with tools funded by College Council, and is developing a three-part compost system behind Dodd house. Rain barrels collected water for use at the Parsons and Kellogg garden during summer 2011.In the spring and summer of 2010, the Williams gardens experienced a few pest difficulties but nothing that has destroyed a particular plant. Various innovative and organic methods have been used experimentally to protect against pests and disease.
Campus and Community Outreach
In an effort to build campus connections and explore the ways food imparts meaning in a variety of cultural contexts, WSG partnered with Koreans of Williams, VISTA, and the JRC in the fall of 2010 and spring of 2011. WSG and KOW collaborated on the Williams After Dark event, and VISTA co-hosted a Latin@ Harvest Dinner with WSG in November 2010, in which members of both groups prepared a meal for students and faculty in the Log, using garden produce. WSG has also partnered with the JRC to provide produce (including heritage-variety “Biblical cucumbers”) for Shabbat dinners, and to grow parsley for Passover. The Center for Environmental Studies Log Lunch has also featured garden produce.
WSG has built partnerships with local school garden programs through assisting with fence construction and maintenance at Williamstown Elementary School and by supporting work at the Mt. Greylock High School garden. Partnerships with local farms have developed through visits to Mighty Food and Sweet Brook farms, and WSG is developing a relationship with COOL Williamstown and the First Congregational Church through the “In My Own Backyard” campaign in Spring 2011.
Future Plans and Opportunities
Moving into its second year, WSG hopes to continue expanding the physical space of the gardens and developing ties with campus and community groups. The Garden Project also provides tremendous opportunities for curricular ties and food system activism which WSG hopes to develop further.
Contact: [email protected] or [email protected]