Tag Archives: Whitewater Food Pantry

Gearing Up for Garden Season

As we head into the sixth season at the Campus Garden we reflect back on our mission to serve the Whitewater Food Pantry with fresh, organic produce, as well as to educate the campus and community about the benefits of organic gardening. A majority of the produce grown gets donated weekly to the local food pantry. To date we have donated over 5,000 pounds of produce; with roughly 1,400 pounds donated last year and 1,700 pounds donated in 2016. By adding a small orchard with a wide variety of fruit trees, we hope to reach the goal of donating 2,000 pounds of fresh produce per year.

A variety of fruit trees were added to the Campus Garden during Earth Week events with Honors Program students in 2016.

Updates from the Garden Manager

As the weather gets warmer and the spring season approaches, activity in the Upham Greenhouse and the Campus Garden is rapidly increasing. The seedlings planted in early March (onions, leeks, kale, cauliflower, and broccoli) are craving the outdoors, awaiting the early planting sessions. The daily indoor watering and care of tomatoes, peppers, beets, chard, herbs, and brassicas will soon be replaced by the natural water cycle and some irrigation in the garden. Soon, we will be planting the seeds of cucurbits (cucumbers, melons, and squash). After some bed prepping, edging, and maintenance, all the seedlings will be ready to be planted throughout the month of May. This is a yearly routine with a strict schedule.

Though the schedule is demanding, we are introducing some new additions to the garden with inspiration from permaculture design. Our orchard is becoming much vaster with a wide variety of fruit trees and exotic shrubs. From native elderberry to plum trees, the diversity within the Campus Garden is growing each season.

This time of year, the amount of work needed outdoors is accumulating. We aim to plant crops outdoors in early May, and the full planting will take place after the last average frost date in late May.  Volunteer hours continue from May through late October or early November, depending on first frost.

Visiting Honors Program students planting beet seeds.
Honors students helping transplant basil.
Pepper seedlings growing strong in the Upham Greenhouse.

How to Get Involved

The best way for you to support the Campus Garden is to volunteer your time and energy by joining us for the work needed to keep up with the garden. Gardening tasks that regularly need our attention include bed prep/turning, weeding, watering, seeding/planting, harvesting, transplanting, cleaning/sanitizing, and more. Without the helping hands of our volunteers, we would not have the time available to maintain the garden and keep it going, so any and all help is greatly appreciated!

All skill levels are welcome.  Tools and gloves are provided, but we recommend any experienced gardener to bring your tools you are most comfortable using (and maybe show us how you do it)!  Volunteer hours are tracked for reporting to a number of different organizations that require them.

Upcoming Events

Join us at the Campus Garden, located between the Moraine Bookstore and Ambrose Health Center on Starin Road (764 W. Starin Road, Whitewater, WI 53190).

Planting Party

  • Lend a hand planing tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, melons, squash, peas, beans, radishes, greens, carrots, and herbs! Check out our Facebook event for more information.
  • Tuesday, May 29 from 3 – 7 PM

Volunteer Sessions (May)

  • Tuesdays: 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM
  • Thursdays:  2:00 PM – 4:00 PM
  • Fridays:  10:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Volunteer Sessions (June – August)

  • Mondays 3-6 PM
  • Tuesdays 3-6 PM (Harvesting!)
  • Wednesdays 9-11 AM
  • Thursdays 10 AM-1 PM
UWW Campus Garden on a sunny August day.

RecycleMania 2011

Hello everyone!

Been awhile… lots of exciting things in the works in the Sustainability Office, but first and foremost…

ARE YOU READY TO RECYCLE????

RecycleMania 2011 is about to kick off and UW-Whitewater enters our third year of participation.  In 2009 we saw a recycling rate of 28.7%, which scored us third among Wisconsin schools competing in the Competition Division (more strict measurement requirements than the Benchmark Division).  Last year we managed to improve to 29.14%, but our state competition heated up and we finished in sixth place among Competition Division schools.  It’s time to step up our game too!

Let’s not forget, we also have a great competition going in the residence halls!  In 2009, Clem/Bigelow won the competition with an easy margin over second place Arey/Benson and third place Wellers/Knilans.  In 2010, Arey/Benson struck back and stole the crown from second place Clem/Bigelow with Tutt/Fischer/Goodhue coming in a strong third.  It’s not only what you recycle, but also what you manage to not throw away, so remember to donate used clothing or unused non-perishable food items.  The Whitewater Clothes Closet and Whitewater Food Pantry are always looking for donations!

RecycleMania kicks off February 6th.  Just do your part and toss your Accepted Recyclable Materials in the proper receptacles.  If you have any questions, just contact your friendly neighborhood Sustainability Coordinator at sustainability (at) uww.edu or hit me up on Facebook.  Go forth and RECYCLE Warhawks!