Harvard University campus harvest

The student garden at Harvard University, along bustling Mount Auburn Street, often draws second glances from passersby. Photo by John Tlumacki/ Globe Staff

At Bay State colleges, student gardens provide food for mind, body

By Tracy Jan
Boston Globe
September 7, 2010

Excerpt:

CAMBRIDGE — Tomatoes, Swiss chard, jalapeños, and other vegetables are sprouting on college campuses across the state — ready for harvesting this fall as part of a new student movement to promote sustainable agriculture and healthy eating.

On the Harvard University campus, the grassy plot dotted with raised wooden planters draws second glances from passersby, who seem surprised to discover the bounty along bustling Mount Auburn Street. Beanstalks climb 6 feet high. Bees buzz around thick patches of mint and chive. A sweet scent lingers near the basil (Thai and Italian). Some pedestrians stop to offer gardening advice.

“I was scolded because I was not pruning the tomatoes correctly,’’ said Emily Osborne, a Harvard junior who had, until a recent day, considered herself a tomato specialist from all the years spent in her grandfather’s garden in Essex. “Now, thanks to the anonymous Cambridge woman, they are thriving.’’

Students at Babson, Olin, and Williams colleges also planted vegetable gardens last school year. Mount Holyoke, Clark, and Gordon started growing food in recent years. Smith College student gardeners plan to work with engineering students this school year to design a solar greenhouse.

Gardening at some schools dates back decades. Boston University has had a rooftop greenhouse — a best-kept secret — since the 1930s. And Hampshire College has had a farm for academic research and teaching sustainable agriculture for nearly 40 years.

Read the complete article here.