History...

The blog is finally up and running! All of the pictures look amazing, I am so happy to see PROGRESS on this project, as the garden began in August as a dry patch of dirt and was hand dug by very dedicated RC students. It is my pleasure to be hired as the RC Garden manager through the department of community service this semester!

Currently the garden is a community service project, as half of all the produce grown in the garden will be donated to the Salem Food Pantry at the end of the year to provide them with much needed fresh, healthy produce. This is the mission of the up and coming garden club, soon to be official with the approval of a new constitution. The garden also serves the Environmental science program on campus, as the Environmental science 200 class is putting in a lot of much needed work on the garden and tending to their student plots.

I was very happy to obtain funding from the sustainability group at Roanoke- RCsustain for a solar powered electric fence! The fence will ensure a sustainable way of protecting our garden from the deer that wander across Elizabeth Campus. Thanks again to RCsustain!

Lastly, I would like to share some pictures from the beginning of the creation of the garden :)





The crew putting compost on the beds
















Kassi and I playing in the dirt














Alex planting:)









Jill :)












Bean plants!










Thanks!
~Carrie Carson
RC Garden Manager :)

Friday........

........was cool and grey and a bit rainy--but it certainly didnt dampen enthusiam for Our Intrepid Leader Jesse Griffin's absolutely beautiful pig roast in front of the Chaplains office on campus. Thirteen hours of pig cooking and smoking on live hickory coals: it began with mens breakfast Thursday night, and extended into Friday afternoon/evening Relay for Life. This was yet another significant positive turning point for this next generation of Campus Culture at Roanoake College--and we are pleased to report that the Garden-and-Envi-gang were well represented at the pig-pulling (and pig-eating)! By the time these pics were shot, the pig was already being pulled on the tables, and the pit was mostly home to separate hams, sausages, chickens, and what-not.

Planting Day!

It was a beautiful day to get out and start planting our garden... unfortunately we still had quite a bit of work on our plot before we could get this looking like a real garden...

After a little work, our garden actually started to look like a garden

Now that all of the plots were laid out, the students were able to begin planting their own individual plots using companion planting. Each post contains a separate plot for each of the students to grow their crops.

In addition to planting, we also began to turn over our topsoil that will eventually be put on the garden beds.

... and in the process this became a mole hunt...

By the end of the day, we had all of our early seeds planted, and even a few transplants of strawberries to give us a little green to our plots...

Progress!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Pictures of upperclassmen assembling garden beds.

We began the season by starting many types of hot peppers including; Chili de Arbol, Cayennes, Xelas, Mayan Love peppers, Grayson County Peppers, and Punjab small peppers. We also started tomatos, corn, cucumbers, and okra to be transplanted after the last frost. We began the season by starting many types of hot peppers including; Chili de Arbol, Cayennes, Xelas, Mayan Love peppers, Grayson County Peppers, and Punjab small peppers. We also started tomatos, corn, cucumbers, and okra to be transplanted after the last frost. Cayenne peppers already ripening!

All of our indoor Chili de Arbol and Cayenne plants

One of our Okra plants started a few weeks ago

Flower on a Chili de Arbol

Envi 200 lab for4/7/11

Greetings all-- it is going to be an excellent day for planting. I suggest that we all just bring our seeds and materials and meet at the garden on EC directly this afternoon at 3 pm. I will bring the potatoes and onion sets and some manner of other things, as well as the updated planting grids for everyone, a planting timetable chart..... and whatever i think of between now and then. been there this morning, and the garden looks reallllly good. Bring your suntan lotion, any digging utensils spoons, or whathaveyou, and soda if ya got em.....Doc, Charles

2011 Garden season

The Envi200 lab in collaboration with the garden club would like to begin the season by first construction a electric fence to control the deer damage. If you would like to become involved please contact Carrie Carson.