A quarter-acre teaching garden has opened inside the Leach Teaching Gardens on the Texas A&M campus, giving The Gardens at Texas A&M University room to teach gardening to students and residents of every age.
The Sarah A. '84 and Mark A. Philpy '77 SEED Garden was dedicated Oct. 2, AgriLife Today reported. The name stands for supporting experiential education and demonstrations.
Until now, The Gardens had a single planting bed set aside for hands-on lessons, which limited what staff could teach. The new space has 16 working beds plus beds around its edge for demonstration plantings. The Philpys pledged money for the project, and The Gardens staff planned it with the AgriLife department that handles facilities, maintenance and construction.
"This unique space is a perfect reflection of the land-grant mission," said Michael Arnold, director of The Gardens and a horticultural sciences professor. He said experimental methods and materials can become part of what students learn, with results shared with campus and the surrounding community.
Programs for children and adults
Education and outreach coordinator Kathryn Grier said the expansion lets more people "get their hands in the soil and learn how to garden." Program manager Joseph Johnson said time in a green space also brings a sense of mindfulness.
The youth lineup includes Little Sprouts, a five-week program for ages 3 to 5 that will now run multiple sessions, and Garden Club, an eight-week pilot series for ages 6 to 9. The annual Texas 4-H Landscape Challenge, held at the Leach Teaching Gardens, will use the new beds; teams used to haul in wooden boxes, plant their displays and remove them days later.
