Welcome to the Bowdoin Organic Garden, where all things grow, whether planted or not! We are a program of Dining Services and also comprise a large student group, the Organic Garden Club. The Bowdoin Organic Garden is a student-initiated project that began in 2004. A group of Bowdoin students including Joel Cartwright, '06, Lauren Withey, '06, Liz Hoering, '06, Rose Kent, '06, Tristan Noyes, '05,
and Elliott Wright, '04 started planning for a garden at Bowdoin their freshman and sophomore years, and spent time drumming up support from professors, the Deans, the Sustainable Bowdoin Office, Dining Service and Facilities. They secured land through the Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust and began a collaboration with Seth Kroeck of Crystal Spring Farm, who was new to the area and just starting his CSA. The first growing year was the summer of 2004, when these six intrepid students began digging in the dirt armed with little more than enthusiasm and $800 from a Maine Initiatives Harvest Fund grant. Their hard work soon paid off as the first harvest, including 700 pounds of cucumbers and 800 pounds of tomatoes, started rolling into the summer dining hall. Dining Service continued providing planning and logistical support, and put the farmers on the payroll. During the 2004-2005 academic year, Joel and the other students began petitioning for a full-time garden manager position to provide continuity and longevity to the program and alleviate the strain on the student farmers to start seeds, pack up dorm rooms, and take finals all at once. They were successful, and in August of 2005 a garden manager was hired fully supported by Dining Services. The position, now in its 8th year, runs from March-November, with the student BOG club taking over activities during the winter months. Now in its eighth year, the BOG has grown to two acres of land broken up into 3 distinct plots. The oldest plot is comprised of 3/4 acre on Pleasant Hill Road on the property of Crystal Spring Farm. In addition, the BOG grows on another 1/4 acre of plots on campus at the corner of South and Coffin streets, and an acre on the property of Wolfe's Neck Farm in Freeport. We have two distinctly different soil types among the plots. Most of our soil is Buxton clay, with the remainder being Windsor loamy sand. Each offers its challenges, though having the two types to work with allows us to cater to the needs of each crop, planting things like carrots and other root crops in the light sandy soil and shallow-rooted crops like salad greens in the heavy clay soil. Along with the cultivated crops produced on our acre, there are plenty of wild foods that grow around us. We take cues from the tiny wild strawberry blossoms that the soil is warm enough to plant hot crops, and the first cucumber and zucchini harvest almost always coincides with ripe wild blackberries in mid-July. We also enjoy loads of wild blueberries in August and cranberries (a testament to our soggy soil!) in October and November.
