If you have a yen to grow some of your own food but don’t have an appropriate spot to do so, claim a plot in Cameron University’s Community Garden, located on the south side of Ole Kim Lane west of Southwest 38th Street. The garden contains 33 plots that measure 20’ x 20’ and 22 plots that are 10’ x 20’. Plots will be available beginning April 1. To reserve a plot, contact the CU Department of Agriculture, Biology and Health Sciences at 580-581-2373 or via email at mvansant@cameron.edu.
A watering system runs throughout the garden, although gardeners must provide their own hoses and sprinklers as well as any other equipment they need to tend the soil (i.e., rakes, hoes, shovels). They are also required supply their own seeds and transplants.
For the past several months, the garden has undergone extensive soil renovation work aimed at improving gardening capacity of the space and increasing crop yields, thanks to funding from the Buck and Irene Clements Endowed Lectureship in Agriculture. The soil was sifted to remove coarse soil, debris and foreign matter than impedes growth and was then fortified with topsoil and fill sand to improve soil texture and to make the soil more amenable to gardening. Lastly, the soil quality has been further improved through fortification and fertilization with the help of local garden center experts. These efforts were aimed at improving gardening capacity of the space and increasing crop yields.
In 2009, Cameron University established the current community garden to bring back a long-gone campus tradition that had played a vital role for Cameron students in the 1920s and 1930s during the school’s high school and junior college era. A century ago, students were required to work in the garden as part of the agriculture curriculum. Today, participation is strictly voluntary and is open to members of the Lawton/Fort Sill community in addition to students, faculty and staff.
In the past 15 years, gardeners have produced a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, such as tomatoes, okra, squash, green beans, cucumbers, strawberries, corn, pumpkin and various types of peppers. Herbs have also been favored crops.
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PR#25-028
