Spring means start of sustainable gardening

Spring has sprung for the Columbia University Food Sustainability Project.

Last week, CUFSP members began working on their gardens in front of Pupin in preparation for Earth Week—the beginning of a fourth year of organic, on-campus gardening.

This year, the group was able to increase its square footage for planting by one third, adding a fourth plot in front of the Northwest Corner Building. Most of the planting will be done in the next three weeks, after the plants were grown in Columbia greenhouses in February and the mulch and compost put in place in March.

It’s an involved process to prepare and plant a garden in the middle of an urban campus, Kristina Gsell, SEAS ’13 and CUFSP president, said.

“As we were carrying the mulch through Riverside Park, one person asked us, ‘Are you carrying dead animals in those bags?’” Gsell said.

The garden will include garbanzo beans and herbs such as rosemary, cilantro, thyme, and basil. The members are also planting flowers, including sunflowers, snapdragons, and marigolds, as well as watermelons, pumpkins, and cucumbers.

“These vegetables need to be watered only at their roots, so not much water is needed,” CUFSP member Arianna Feinberg, CC ’12, said.

Using the garden, the group tries to increase awareness of access to sustainable produce on campus, teach CUFSP members sustainable gardening techniques, and invite more people to join in, Gsell said.

Group members, with help from EcoReps, do all of the work on the land and then keep most of the produce for the group to make meals—even having a picnic with the produce last year.

Jackson Cooper, CC ’11 and CUFSP member, said it’s been great to see the evolution of the garden over the three years he’s worked with it.

“It’s always a learning process to see what things grow and what works and what doesn’t,” Cooper said, explaining that while some plants have been successful, others, such as the mushrooms they tried planting last year, haven’t worked out as well.

Getting the project started in February 2008, however, wasn’t an easy process.

“There was a lot of red tape to go through,” Gsell said. “An agreement was made that CUFSP will be the ones to take care of the garden and make sure it’s not overgrown.”

Now, the group is working with the University, including the Office of Environmental Stewardship, on a number of sustainability initiatives.

All the plants grown are organic, meaning no genetically modified organisms are used in the process. CUFSP also doesn’t use chemical fertilizer, opting for organic compost donated from Columbia Facilities instead. In other water-saving efforts, Columbia Facilities workers are setting up a drip-irrigation system, and CUFSP members are setting up a rainwater catchment system.

Neil McCormack, SEAS ’12 and CUFSP member who has worked on the garden for three years, said he appreciates the unique space in the city.

“It’s nice to go to the garden and sit underneath the little apple tree,” McCormack said.

news@columbiaspectator.com