PVCC’s Garden Thrives Under the Horticulture and Environmental Club
PVCC’s Horticulture and Environmental Club wrapped up for winter in the middle of November, but the garden is still full of life. Winterberries and pussy willow speckle the hillside next to the Dickinson building on PVCC’s campus within the graded fencing. In the garden on Friday and Sunday afternoons, students and community members gather to tend the garden for great causes, to find community, learn agricultural skills, and end food insecurity in our neighborhoods. The list of produce grown is expansive and includes everything that can grow in Virginia: fruits like persimmons, pears, apples, and peaches; vegetables including asparagus, broccoli, turnips, potatoes, bok choy; and even flowers for pollinators like irises, violets, and other bulbs.
Senior Director of Student Success & Support David Lerman has been running the garden since 2007, with anywhere from three to 25 people working to keep everything running smoothly. Community members are able to get a plot from Lerman by sending him an email, and as long as they are productive in the garden, they are able to grow as many seasons as they would like. Each garden plot holder must donate a portion of their crops to the community. Some plot holders are ministers in churches and give their food to members of their congregation and communities. Others donate to local food banks, such as Loaves and Fishes. Closest to home, some members donate to the on-campus food bank.
The club prioritizes community building, with its involvement in local pantries and encouraging club members to rely on each other. They host a potluck once in the spring and once in the fall, where community members who grow in the garden can share the spoils of their labors and meet each other, some for the first time.
Produce like green beans, kale, asparagus, and more all growing the garden to be eaten at the potluck, with portions being donated to on-campus causes such as Boxes for Break, a free program offering prepackaged food, fresh produce, and other household essentials for students to take home over winter break.
Alexa Graham, a UVA 3rd year, is the project manager bringing UVA students to the garden on Sundays and Fridays to help out. “This year we grew tons of green beans, and we ended up donating them all to the PVCC food bank,” She said as the team worked to paint rock garden labels for the various beds. The club paints its own crop labels and garden bed names, with each of the garden beds being named after authors.
“One of the most rewarding parts of being a club advisor is getting a chance to see people’s personal development as they work in the garden,” Lerman said as he watched club goers problem-solve various small issues while he was interviewed. When asked why he didn’t step in, he confidently said, “They got it,” demonstrating his desire to empower students. And they figured everything out without his assistance, but not without affirmations and compliments to their hard work from Lerman. Even a short visit to the garden shows how much of an impact confidence and personal responsibility have on students.
According to the club’s PVCC website, members meet on Fridays from 3-5 p.m. and Sundays from 2-4 p.m. (usually with one shift a week). The garden and club will resume meeting in the spring after the last frost, so students interested in seeing what the Horticulture & Environmental Club is about should email them at Garden@PVCC.edu or David Lerman at DLerman@PVCC.edu.
