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Campus Farm Manager Parker Anderson poses in front of one of the honeybee hives in the area he calls a “bee sanctuary.” |
Campus Farm Manager Parker Anderson is a gardener on a mission. Anderson, a dual degree master’s student at U-M (Sustainable Systems and Landscape Architecture), has been hard at work at the Farm this summer creating a laboratory of sustainable agriculture in a modest plot on the Matthaei Botanical Gardens property.
The project fills an educational gap, says Anderson. “Students have a need to connect to local food,” he says, “and our farm offers the side benefits of learning and community.” Students can take away ideas for how to create gardens and how to grow food locally and sustainably, he adds, desires borne out in a recent survey of U-M students.
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The “seed bank” at the Campus Farm lets manager Parker Anderson know what was growing in the plot in the first place. |
Anderson has incorporated the principles of permaculture into the Campus Farm. A significant goal of permaculture is the development of agricultural systems that are based on natural ecosystems, in effect mimicking nature’s designs. You can see that concept in action in the area devoted to honeybees and pollination Anderson calls the “bee sanctuary,” and the future plans for a “food forest”—a plot of food-producing and nutrient-enhancing plants—near the Farm. Other elements, like the herb spiral and potato snake, are as much about artful delight as they are horticultural, says Anderson. And soon, he hopes, the farm will grow enough herbs to supply the U-M Dining Services. If you haven’t been out to the Farm yet, stop by any time the Botanical Gardens is open. And look for announcements on the Matthaei Botanical Gardens & Nichols Arboretum website about seasonal farm-related events like the fall 2013 Harvest Celebration and other programming.
The Campus farm is always looking for student volunteers. If you’re interested in helping out, please contact Parker Anderson at campusfarm@umich.edu.
The Campus farm is always looking for student volunteers. If you’re interested in helping out, please contact Parker Anderson at campusfarm@umich.edu.