OU Community Garden gives students the opportunity to work in their own personal garden and grow things for themselves.

The garden, which is run by the Green Corn student organization, is located on five acres south of Lloyd Noble Center at Chautauqua Avenue and G.T. Blankenship Boulevard.

Kara McKee, botany and anthropology senior and garden manager, said students meet every Wednesday 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. to tend the garden and spend time with their fellow gardeners.

The land was donated by the OU landscaping department McKee said, from what used to be the OU landscape nursery tree farm.

McKee said the garden has been in use for three semesters and allows students to have their own space to grow organic food.

Although the garden is for student use and is of no cost, McKee said they have trouble getting students to participate because they are unaware of it.

"We've had difficulty getting students to know that it is out here," McKee said. "OU provides the water, we provide the seedlings and we also have mulch. What we are trying to do is make a space where students can grow an all-organic vegetable garden with as minimal effort as possible. We have plans in the future to have an irrigation system so basically all you'd have to do is come out to weed and harvest."

Julie Cohen, director of landscape and grounds at OU, said the garden is beneficial because students have the opportunity to learn while they are working in the garden. Cohen said many students who take part in growing food at the garden are botany majors and it provides them with a "good opportunity to approach their studies from a horticultural perspective."

Candice Prosser, botany junior, said the garden provides students the opportunity to get fresh food when they otherwise might not be able to.

"The garden is beneficial to students who live in dorms or apartments and don't have their own yards to grow food," Prosser said. "They can grow their own organic vegetables of their choice and not have to purchase them from stores where many times they are too expensive. It also gives them the opportunity to have fresh vegetables instead of having to buy tomatoes that are green and have no taste."

McKee said students can register for a free space by contacting a Green Corn representative at 405-640-9119. McKee said in the future Green Corn hopes to have a bulletin board mapping the plots so students can simply mark down which plot they want and begin growing.
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