Only the Freshest Dirt

Nathaniel Cook ’12, Hutchinson, Minn., and Shane Sessions ’12, Minot, N.D., are spending the summer getting their hands dirty.

As garden interns and co-inspirers of Concordia’s first organic garden, the two are basking in the shade of success – and leafy green cornstalks.

“It’s been such an awesome teaching tool for the college and the community,” says Cook, who helped initiate the project by partnering with the Sustainability Task Force and the Student Environmental Alliance. “We wanted to show others that gardening is a sustainable way to grow food for themselves and their family.”

Aptly named Cornucopia, the garden was planted in April and has been growing like a weed ever since.

Next spring, Dr. Gretchen Harvey, history assistant professor and faculty adviser for the garden, will offer a capstone course focusing on sustainable food and agriculture throughout history. Students enrolled in the course will also be responsible for planning and managing the garden before the summer season.

“It’s a way to ensure continuity for this project,” Sessions says. “Developing the garden into the curriculum means that others will be working on what we’ve started year after year.”

Located near Jake Christiansen Stadium, the garden provides a diverse selection of vegetables and herbs for Concordia Dining Services, Concordia Farmers Markets and the community at large.

“It’s highly visible to the outside community and it's relatively low-cost,” Sessions says. “Overall, we just thought it’d be a great starting project to get Concordia on the right track toward increased food sustainability.”

To learn more about the organic garden, visit the Fresh Dirt blog.

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Organic Garden

Nathaniel Cook ’12, Hutchinson, Minn., and Shane Sessions ’12, Minot, N.D., are getting their hands dirty this summer in Concordia’s organic garden.

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