Imagine eating the way people did over hundreds of years ago. This is what the garden club is trying to cultivate within the Central Oregon Community College community.

According to COCC garden club founder, everyday people in the community and across the nation struggle to make ends meet due to overpriced necessities.

“Before modern technology, people grew gardens to live,” Barnett said.

There are other advantages to gardening even beyond the economical aspects, according to Barnett.

“If you garden, you’re automatically going to have a deeper relationship with your food,” said Barnett.

After getting permission from the college to build an on-campus garden, the club has been working with the John and Joan Casey Sustainability Grant founders and have been collaborating with other community organizations with the goal of “being a resource to the college community,” according to Barnett.

Currently they are in the process of building a Composting Demonstration Garden that will demonstrate different methods of composting so each individual can decide which best fits their personal space and lifestyle

Composting tips

-For vermicomposting (composting with worms) it is important to use red wiggler worms, recommended amount of worms is 1 lb of worms to 1 lb of waste

– Maintain a proper moisture level depending on type of compost (dry/wet) if compost is too wet it could become anaerobic

-Compost should not stink, this could attract unwanted visitors; mice, deer, bears, etc.

-Dry compost should be brown, wet compost should be green

-DO NOT use meat in compost, this could also attract the unwanted visitors mentioned above

Alyssa Heyman | The Broadside