Georgia Southern University students have the opportunity to grow their own vegetables and plants at the Community Garden located outside of the Herty Building.

Provided by the Center for Sustainability, the Community Garden allows students to gain knowledge about gardening as well as the health and survival benefits of harvesting their own food.

The Community Garden gives students the chance to learn about growing and cultivating crops, education behind soil science and the opportunity to learn about natural fertilizers and harvesting.

“It is a type of powerful knowledge to know how to produce your own food and lessen your reliance on box stores for your fruits and vegetables,” Cami Sockow, coordinator for the Center of Sustainability Program, said.

The Community Garden has been around since fall 2015. The Center of Sustainability started the Community Garden to give students a space to learn about the importance of sustainable agriculture.

“Studies show that physically interacting with soil does have positive benefits, but what those benefits are could vary from person to person. I think gardening can mean a lot of different things to individuals depending on who you are,” Sockow said. “For some it is therapeutic, for some it is learning something new, for some it is just watching something grow from seed to table and knowing you produced that.”

Some of the most popular plants grown are beans, kale and brussels sprouts.

Every semester each student pays a $10 sustainability fee to the university, which goes toward the Community Garden. The Community Garden is free for all GS students.

To get involved with the Community Garden, contact the Center for Sustainability at cfs@georgiasouthern.edu.

Tori Collins, The George-Anne Daily Reporter, ganewsed@georgiasouthern.edu