And the summer begins!

Orientation was a great success thanks to all the volunteers who beat the heat and came to the garden! We distributed the summer volunteer schedule, toured the garden, and several volunteers stayed to lay down some new soil for our growing potatoes! For those of you who missed out but still want to volunteer, simply email depaulufo@gmail.com to schedule a make-up with me (Faith). No experience is necessary!


As our project is quickly expanding, we have found ourselves in need of many materials to ensure healthy, strong produce. We are humbly seeking donations of any items listed below:

cinder blocks
wood chips
tires
bricks
any building materials
canvas
plywood
burlap sacks
washing tubs/bins
folding tables
folding chairs 
shade tent/canopy
plastic bags
large digital scale
rinsed plastic & glass bottles
trellis and stakes for peas, tomatoes, cucumbers, etc.
seeds & seedlings
chicken wire


In other news, there is a rascally rabbit using our garden as his personal buffet.

(this is not the actual rabbit)

So far, he has...

• Eaten an entire row each of beets, lettuce, carrots, swiss chard, turnups, broccoli, and kale;
• Completely demolished 3 eggplants and an entire bed of garlic chives;
• Stolen several growing strawberries. 

We need help dealing with this pest! If you have any natural and harmless remedies, please share your knowledge! So far, Andy & Matt have revamped the bed design to respond to the problem:

Volunteers, get ready for the first official volunteer day this Sunday June 24: Native Prairie Woodland Planting @ 1:00pm! Bring gloves and water bottles!

Seedling Sale on Kenmore Green

Who: DePaul Urban Farming Organization (UFO) & Environmental Concerns Committee (ECC)
What: We will be selling basil, tomatillo, india mustard, and geranium seedlings to raise funds for DUG
When: 2-4pm Thursday, May 24, 2012
Where: Kenmore Green, in between Fullerton and Belden

Please come by and support the DePaul Urban Garden as we begin our first season and prepare for our first harvest!

See(d) change: students grow a better future at DePaul's first urban garden

Calling all DePaul urban farmers, gardeners, and foodies!

The DePaul Urban Garden (DUG) will begin summer volunteer days for students, faculty, and staff starting June 21 every Thursday and Sunday. If you would like to join a group of people passionate about how and where their food is produced, attend our mandatory Orientation at 6:00pm on Monday June 18, 2012. Orientation will be held in the Richardson Library Rosati Room 300. 

The DUG is a student-led urban agriculture project overseen by the university's Urban Farming Organization. The garden grows on the corner of Belden Ave. & Bissell St., and consists of 14 recycled-content raised bed containers with plans to add alternative burlap, tire, vertical, and glass bottle beds over the summer months. Tomatoes, peppers, basil, strawberries, tomatillos, leafy greens, and much more are already growing in the garden and the greenhouse! No experience is necessary in order to volunteer - growing food is a learning experience.

Where does the food go, you ask? Well, half of each weekly harvest will be donated to a local food pantry through the university, while the other half will be divided amongst that week's volunteers in the DUG Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Program. This project is unique because it gives volunteers a chance to become a part of their local food system in a very unique way, with a minimum time contribution of 1 hour or more per week. More detailed information about CSA can be found at Local Harvest. 

To volunteer at the DUG, RSVP for the mandatory orientation by emailing garden general manager Faith Kohler at depaulUFO@gmail.com. If you cannot attend the June 18 session, contact Faith to schedule a make-up orientation.

The next Urban Farming Organization meeting will be held Monday, May 21 in McGowan South room 404. There will be a presentation about CSA and some delicious snacks! 

Also stay tuned in for our upcoming Seedling Sale Fundraiser on Thursday, May 24! We will be selling a variety of herbs, flowers, strawberries, tomatoes, peppers, and more on the new Kenmore Green, an open space designated for improving sustainability across campus in accordance with the university's master plan. 

The DUG will be hosting a series of workshops, speakers, potlucks, and other events all summer long, so check back for updates!