Officials opened a new community garden on the Mount Vernon campus Saturday.

Josh Lasky, the director of GW’s Office of Sustainability, a campus organization with the goals of building a more healthy, efficient and inclusive university community, said the new garden will grow fruits and vegetables that the group may donate to Miriam’s Kitchen, The Store and Pelham Commons among others. Lasky said the new garden aims to further engage community members and students by allowing them to “get closer” to the Earth and their food by being involved in growing produce.  

“The Mount Vernon Campus is a wonderful community and array of spaces and resources, and the new community garden there is one of many different assets available to students, faculty, and staff at GW,” Lasky said in an email. 

He said the plants chosen for the garden include tomatoes, squash, zucchini, peas, cucumber, lettuce greens, raspberries, blueberries, several different herbs and pollinator plants like St. John’s wort. He also said the garden includes two pear trees and a sour cherry tree.

The Office of Sustainability helps run a community garden in Foggy Bottom, the GroW Garden, which grows produce for Miriam’s Kitchen — a nonprofit located in Foggy Bottom working to end homelessness. Due to the accomplishments of the GroW Garden, Lasky said he and others wanted to expand their efforts and make another garden on the Vern. 

“Given that the Foggy Bottom Campus has a successful community garden led by the GroW Community, the Office of Sustainability was eager to replicate that model at the Mount Vernon Campus,” Lasky said. 

Lasky said the project began about a year ago after the Office of Sustainability received a grant from the Luther Rice Society Advisory Council, an organization funding GW programs to enable students to thrive academically, professionally and socially, to build the garden. 

He said the Office of Sustainability worked with Facilities Planning, Construction and Management and with the Division of Student Affairs, specifically the Vern and Office of Student Life to refine their plans. 

“Several additional offices and student groups were engaged in the process as well to offer ideas and feedback,” Lasky said. 

Lasky said the Office of Sustainability worked closely with Brightview, GW’s landscaping contractor, for several months on the construction of the garden. He said Brightview helped raise beds and terraces for the plants along with participating in the opening of the garden Saturday. 

“Brightview also donated the plants and trees that have been included in the initial planting of the garden,” Lasky said.

Lasky said the Office of Sustainability is looking for a student staff member to manage the day-to-day operations of the garden with part-time volunteers joining this summer. He said staff and volunteers will work various jobs to upkeep the garden including watering, weeding, mulching and harvesting without the use of herbicides or pesticides and maintaining regenerative agricultural practices. 

“The Office of Sustainability encourages all members of our community to get involved, volunteer, attend future programs, or just visit and enjoy a new green space at our University,” Lasky said.