What is the Garden?
Started in 2010, the Monmouth College Educational Garden began with a grant sponsored by faculty, administration, and trustees of the college. Since then, the project has been growing rapidly helped by a grant from the Environmental Protection Agency. This money has been used for community development projects, collaboration with local schools, and for maintaining and new educational technology.
The Educational Garden is located on the southeastern side of campus at 1042 East Broadway. The main goals of our garden are health, education, conservation, and permanence. We use both intensive and 100% organic agricultural methods. We plow and till with a BCS diesel, walk- behind tractor, which is also used to turn family gardens in Monmouth. We fertilize our garden with horse manure from Rainbow Riders (a local stable), grow our seedlings under lights donated by the local police department. On less than an acre of land, we have a three-stage compost system, garden beds for over twenty vegetables, a berry patch, a mini-orchard of sixteen semi-dwarf trees, a grape arbor, seven bee hives, a rainwater system run by a solar-powered pump, an edible herb garden, a small rain garden, a perennial flower garden, a small prairie plot of grasses and wildflowers, and seating in the shade.
The Educational Garden is managed by a team of faculty and students called the Garden Crew. Professor Craig Watson founded the Educational Garden and coordinates its regular activities, workshops, and schedule of events.
Professor Watson can be contacted:
Please look around our site. You will find information on upcoming events, log posts from the Garden Crew, photos from the garden, and much more.
Happy gardening!
The Educational Garden is located on the southeastern side of campus at 1042 East Broadway. The main goals of our garden are health, education, conservation, and permanence. We use both intensive and 100% organic agricultural methods. We plow and till with a BCS diesel, walk- behind tractor, which is also used to turn family gardens in Monmouth. We fertilize our garden with horse manure from Rainbow Riders (a local stable), grow our seedlings under lights donated by the local police department. On less than an acre of land, we have a three-stage compost system, garden beds for over twenty vegetables, a berry patch, a mini-orchard of sixteen semi-dwarf trees, a grape arbor, seven bee hives, a rainwater system run by a solar-powered pump, an edible herb garden, a small rain garden, a perennial flower garden, a small prairie plot of grasses and wildflowers, and seating in the shade.
The Educational Garden is managed by a team of faculty and students called the Garden Crew. Professor Craig Watson founded the Educational Garden and coordinates its regular activities, workshops, and schedule of events.
Professor Watson can be contacted:
- by email at [email protected]
- by phone at (309) 457-2101
- in his office, Mellinger 211, by appointment only
Please look around our site. You will find information on upcoming events, log posts from the Garden Crew, photos from the garden, and much more.
Happy gardening!