Oglethorpe Helps Plant Brookhaven Community Garden

What better way to plant the seeds of prosperity and nurture the Brookhaven community than with a Community Garden?

On Monday, Feb. 16, Oglethorpe University will partner with representatives throughout the Brookhaven community including (but not limited to) St. Martin’s Episcopal School, Brookhaven Christian Church and Oglethorpe Presbyterian Church to plant a community garden whose mission is two-fold:

• To develop a vegetable garden for the production of locally-grown, locally-shared, healthy produce.

• To build a sense of community and promote ecological education by sharing the work and harvest of collectively-grown food in a Community Garden.

Oglethorpe University donated the land for the Brookhaven Community Garden, which will be located behind the university’s Emerson Student Center. Volunteers will build six raised beds using timbers and additional materials donated by Davis Landscape, a local landscape company. With the help and planning of DeKalb County Horticulture Manager Gary Peiffer and UGA Cooperative Extension County Agent Bobby Wilson, the beds will grow various vegetables, and will include a garden for herbs.

Garden planting will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Feb. 16. An interfaith blessing of the Garden will be held Sunday, Feb. 22 at 2 p.m. Community members are invited to participate or attend at no cost. Funds for the Community Garden have been provided through grants and donations, courtesy of Oglethorpe Presbyterian Church and Oglethorpe University’s Center for Civic Engagement.

The Mission of the Garden

It is the sincere hope of all involved that the food grown in the garden go to nourish the community from which it came. Proposals include using the food to feed students attending area schools, as well as supplying fresh greens for local food banks.

In addition to providing nourishment for the body, planners hope the Garden will also provide the opportunity to nourish the mind. Plans are underway to facilitate learning opportunities for students at PATH Academy, St. Martin’s Episcopal School and students involved in Oglethorpe University’s Urban Ecology program.

Peiffer and Wilson will provide tools and knowledge for the building day, and will offer classes at Oglethorpe University and area churches on topics ranging from building rain barrels to planning a community garden.