Veggies Growing at University Terrace
Residents of Butler's University Terrace Apartments are tending a new vegetable garden, planted in the apartment courtyard on June 9.
Several student volunteers joined Residence Life Coordinator Jeremy Votaw in filling raised beds with a mixture of topsoil, sand and composted manure. They then planted tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and squash, along with assorted herbs and flowers.
Any resident who signs up to water and care for the plants will be welcome to eat some produce when it ripens, Votaw said.
Votaw proposed the garden as a common activity for the apartments’ 50 summer occupants. (University Terrace accommodates up to 95 during the school year.). He envisions it making the apartments’ sunny but underutilized courtyard space more welcoming.
Student volunteers admitted they have more enthusiasm than experience when it comes to gardening. “I have black thumbs,” said senior Sajeena Horvath with a chuckle. “I usually kill plants. But this seems like a nice thing to get everyone together.”
Junior Jacki Proffitt decided to volunteer because her summer stay on campus meant “I finally have to cook for myself. It’ll be nice to have some fresh food.”
By mid-July, Katie Cich (shown watering the month-old plants) had harvested a few peppers, including a fiery variety. Small green tomatoes and squash were making progress.
A fountain once occupied the space where the garden now stands. The fountain’s pipes are still buried in the ground, so, rather than have to dig around the pipes, Votaw and his father, John Votaw of Greenfield, built four wooden raised planters for the garden. Each rises about 3 feet above ground and is 5 feet wide. The two largest are 11 feet long.
Votaw researched planter and garden plans on the Internet. Marjorie Hennessey, director of the Butler Center for Urban Ecology, and Philip Villani, assistant professor of biological sciences, provided appreciated advice on plant selection and other tips.
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