Workplace Gardens

[Natalie]

Anyone here have one?

I work in the Nutrition Department at a Big 10 University. Work within the department varies, but most people (faculty, staff, undergrads, and grad students) are very health conscious. Some of the research going on has been interdepartmental and focused on obesity, diet, physical activity, access to fresh fruits and vegetables to inner city areas (food deserts), nutritional deficiencies, pediatric obesity and diabetes, etc.

I had the idea: why the heck don't we have a veggie garden out back? There is a nice big lawn that no one uses. We should plant veggies for multiple reasons:
1) Increasing physical activity of employees during the work day
2) Increasing access to fresh vegetables to employees and students (who have no yards and no money)
3) As an example of successful urban gardening (channeling my inner Will Allen)
4) For food pantry donation, improving the nutritional status of those who otherwise couldn't afford fresh veggies.

The Dean said yes, the Chair said yes, I got about 20 undergrad volunteers to maintain it...

The grounds crew said no. They said to use the community plot 3 miles away. Blech! I'm going all out for next year, media coverage, etc. We want our veggies!!!!

So, does anyone here have or know of any successful workplace gardens? I'd love to hear your story!

 

[lesa]

Oh gee, Natalie- I thought for sure that story was headed for a happy ending! Darn! I can't believe the grounds crew vote out trumps the dean??? Well, it is a great idea and you had lots of support- so keep fighting for next year! I do have my garden at work- but I also live at my business and I didn't need permission... so not very relevant. Good luck!

 

[Rosalind]

We have a native wildflower and wetland garden, not a veggie garden. The original landscaping looked pretty lame, and a bunch of employees volunteered to plant and maintain the area with native landscaping and wildflowers on their time off. Management's only comment, other than, "what a lovely idea, thank you for your hard work, please post photos of the beautiful plants on the company bulletin board!" was to purchase and install a few picnic tables and benches so folks could eat their lunch out there. The grounds crew was told to mow around and quit spraying, as the volunteers were going to maintain it, and that was that. Now the grounds crew only spreads mulch around a few bushes in front and mows the bit of lawn behind the building. The volunteers maintain the bird boxes and most of the plants they chose were the low-maintenance type that don't take much fussing or pruning to look good.

Of course, our grounds crew is all contractors, not regular employees, so the amount of say they have in anything that goes on in our company is negligible. I'm sure it's quite different at a university.

 

[Grow 4 Food]

What does it matter to the grounds crew? Are they going to weed? Are they going to plant or feed or harvest ( bet they would eat some harvest if offered). You are taking space that they dont have to mow so there is a little less for them. It isnt like you are taking away a persons job because you are working up 3-4 acres? The only thing that would make a difference to them IMO is you asking them to not blow grass in the garden when they mow. If the dean say yes then I would say go for it! I had one at work for a couple years until I had my own house to grow one. I dropped off a bag of veggies to the supervisor every now and then and he started making a request that I grow other thing (that he liked).

 

[Natalie]

It is a bunch of hooey.

The landscaping on universities is always pristine. It's part of looking impressive to parents of future students, alumni who donate the big bucks, etc. According to the guy I had to ask, he has a lot of pressure to keep green space open. Thus, a garden works in direct opposition to that. Still, the area is isolated from view unless you are looking out the windows of one of 4 buildings that surround the lawn.

All they would have to do is mow around it. I had arranged tilling, planting, fencing, weeding, harvesting, and even offered to reseed the area with grass if it failed. I was planning to ask them to not spray the area with chemicals, but never got that far. It's not a matter of work for them, it seems to be more a matter of principle. So I will be going over his head. As in, to the chancellor.

Also, I think they thought that I wanted my own personal garden. I have 1000 sq ft of garden at home, I have quite enough work to do. This project was rather an example of the healthy lifestyle that we as nutrition researchers are promoting to stop malnutrition and obesity in our community. If we have so much red tape, how is anyone else supposed to pull this off?

Hooey.

 

[ducks4you]

Natalie, will they let you have a small greenhouse? :/
Maybe the Art Department could have students design and build it and they could work in the school emblem on one of the glass panes?