For Bill Sorensen, senior programmer analyst in the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s School of Natural Resources, the East Campus Community Gardens sprouted more than plants.
Sorensen, who has long rented a plot in the gardens, met his wife, Karen, there. The couple has now been married for 14 years.
“We were always out at the garden, and we got together and ended up getting married,” Sorensen said. “That was kind of unique out there.”
Just to the east of McCollum Hall on East Campus, members of the university community are growing produce and bonds. The East Campus Community Gardens are a place where people of all backgrounds can share their hobby and its products.
“We have a lot of different backgrounds of people but everybody has an interest in gardening,” Sorensen said.
More than 70 plots in two sections are open to all members of the university community. Most gardeners are graduate students. Plots are by request and they currently have a waiting list of around 30 people, which Mark Mesarch, senior web/database developer in the School of Natural Resources and coordinator of the gardens, said has only grown since he took over managing it.
“It’s a place for getting your hands dirty,” Mesarch said.
The gardens can provide some tools and materials like compost, wood chips, wheelbarrows and hoses.
Sorensen has had a plot since the garden began more than 30 years ago when he was a graduate student in the agronomy department. He said the growing interest has been apparent, and the demographic now includes more faculty and staff and more academic backgrounds.
“As time went on, it was good to see people who had a lot of different abilities in gardening,” Sorensen said. “We had a lot of people who had a lot of skills join the gardens. It’s become more diverse in how people work and what people grow over time.”
Read the full story at https://news.unl.edu/article/vegetables-bonds-grow-at-east-campus-community-gardens