Collegiate Times

Virginia Tech Dining Services is expanding its plot at Kentland Farm to provide campus dining halls with more fresh fruits, vegetables and herbs.

The plot began over a year ago to bring herbs to various dining halls. Last summer the plot was able to provide vegetables to the Farms and Fields project, located in Owens, and to D2.

This planting season, the plot expanded to two acres that will provide fresh vegetables to D2 and Farms and Fields.

The plot grows numerous fruits and vegetables, as well as herbs. Occasionally the dining halls are also able to use surplus fruit provided by nearby a orchard.Elena Dulys-Nusbaum, sustainability coordinator for Tech, helps organize the farm and said she believes it is very beneficial to Tech.

“We are a land grant university, it’s a natural progression. Since dining services has an interest in sustainable foods, we could partner with another department in the university and produce our own,” she said.

Chelsea Graves, the student manager of the garden, said it is a great way for students to get involved and give back to our community.

“Even though we are only here for four years, we are choosing to be here and the garden is a great way to get to know the place,” she said.

Currently the garden plot is covered, but seeding will begin in mid-March. 

Volunteers will be needed during late spring through the summer and the fall to harvest the plants. Dulys-Nusbaum hopes that people will come out in large groups and come to the garden consistently to volunteer.

Graves said that there had been a learning curve after the growth of the garden last season, but hopes that this season will be productive and bring much to the community.

“We hope to get more students involved in research projects and some integrated coursework with the farm,” she said.

Farms and Fields Project in Owens takes a lot of produce in the fall, but it isn’t open in the summer when most of the produce is harvested.

“In the summer a good deal of produce goes to D2 since D2 is open during the summer for freshman orientation. The first meal that freshmen have at Virginia Tech has some aspect that has been grown locally and that is very exciting,” Dulys-Nusbaum said.

Dulys-Nusbaum hopes that the garden can expand in the future with possible green houses and hoop houses.

“We are hoping to expand our food preservation facilities so we can serve more of the garden produce during the winter time,” she said.

Graves hopes that the plot can continue to expand while maintaining a high quality of production.

“I think that humans are drawn to be connected to other living things,” she said. “Kentland Farm is a beautiful place to find that connection.”

A version of this article appeared in the Mar 3 issue of the Collegiate Times.