A course in growing

Gonzaga University student Emily Jackson sampled a freshly picked radish from a garden outside the East Valley Presbyterian Church.

“It’s scrumptious,” she said, while helping prep the food last Saturday.

“We’re washing produce to give to the Valley food bank. This is the first week we are able to do that.”

She and other students enrolled in a service-learning course spent last Saturday harvesting the first round of produce – radishes and lettuce – from a community garden they planted for donations to Spokane Valley Partners food bank.

Called Leadership Garden, the course uses a book titled “Unique: Growing the Leader Within,” with opportunities for journaling and leadership self-discovery.

“We’re using the garden as a model for leadership,” said instructor Mark Beattie. He invited speakers to address the class each Saturday on global and local issues. “To think globally, act locally is the adage we’re trying to live by.”

The students enrolled in the course that ran June 2 through today, also studied and wrote about issues such as poverty, water scarcity, genetic modification, food safety and sustainable economics while being involved in the community garden project.

The garden incorporates about a dozen raised beds in addition to several containers holding plants – including herbs, onions, squash, cucumbers, peas and peppers.

Last Saturday, after tending to the garden and picking some produce, the students heard from a local bee expert and later listened to Spokane Valley Partners food bank Director Barbara Bennett, who said all locally grown produce is the first to go during weekly distributions to needy families.

When asked if she ever has issues of produce spoiling, Bennett quickly said no.

“I don’t because fresh produce is in such great demand. We also have cool storage.”

She added that the radishes and lettuce likely would go out early in the week to emergency cases of families needing food on Monday. Bennett added that the food bank gets donations from area gardens grown by residents and church groups, but she could always use more produce.

“This year we’re off to a slower start,” Bennett said, about produce donations. “The weather has not been cooperating. In June, we only received 90 pounds of produce, down from hundreds last year.”

All those enrolled in the Leadership Garden course are nontraditional students, over age 25, most with families and working full time while attaining a Bachelor of General Studies degree. This is the first year that the Leadership Garden class has been offered as part of Gonzaga’s BGS program and through GU Continuing Education.

“This is a service-learning course. Every undergraduate student at Gonzaga has to do a service learning portion to a course,” said Melissa Lowdon, director of the BGS program at Gonzaga University.

“Our students in the BGS program do an online class at the same time as they do a Saturday class, so they’re taking two courses in eight-week sessions,” Lowdon added.

Students Leah Ricks and Emily Jackson both enjoyed learning while helping others.

“I think it’s great we’re integrating leadership skills along with gardening by giving back to the community,” Jackson said. “Mark (Beattie) is awesome to give us this opportunity. To take us out of the classroom, it gives us so much better perspective. It’s hands-on learning.”

“The text has been great,” added Ricks. “It gives you the opportunity for self reflection, to get rid of the weeds in your life, for example. Most of us work full-time and have family. It’s neat to get out of the classroom and do something.”

After the class ends, Beattie said church members and Master Gardener volunteers likely will continue working in the community garden for food bank donations.