South Campus Garden
About Us:
- Established in March of 2015, the South Campus Community Garden is a space to learn about sustainable food production and help combat food insecurity.
- The garden is maintained by student interns, work-study students, and volunteers under the supervision of Dr. Ashlie Delshad, Dr. Joan Welch, Dr. Lynn Monahan, and Dr. Nur Ritter.
- The majority of the produce that we grow is donated to the WCU Resource Pantry, but we also support the West Chester Food Cupboard.
- The garden is open to everyone - faculty, staff, students, and the community. We always
love having visitors in the garden, but please note that it is essential that produce
only be harvested under the supervision of garden staff. Doing so ensures:
- Crops are harvested properly and when ripe to preserve the health of plants.
- The garden staff is able to keep accurate records of crop yields.
- The majority of fresh produce is able to reach food insecure individuals in our community.
- The South Campus Garden employs a three-season gardening method, which means there
is a rotating crop supply almost eight months of the year.
- Spring crops include: spinach, cabbage, lettuce, broccoli, kale, collards, radishes, carrots, beets, and strawberries
- Summer crops include: cucumbers, summer squash, tomatoes, hot and sweet peppers, eggplant, okra, and blueberries
- Fall crops include: brussels sprouts, winter squash, kale, broccoli, garlic, lettuce, and raspberries
- Volunteer Hours:
- Due to setbacks from COVID-19, the South Campus Garden is not operational for regular volunteer hours at this time. For more information on how you can get involved at our other locations, contact our garden staff at gardens@wcupa.edu.
- Location: South Campus Apartments, behind Building 837 (you can also find us on the campus map by searching "South Campus Demonstration Garden")
Meet Our Staff:
Dr. Ashlie Delshad
Dr. Delshad Dr. Delshad joined WCU's Political Science Department in 2011 teaching courses on environmental policy, social inequality, and food politics. In 2015 she helped start the South Campus Demonstration Garden and has continued to play an instrumental role in the expansion and maintenance of the garden. Dr. Delshad also forged a relationship with the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society's City Harvest Program. She takes students to volunteer with their urban gardening efforts each spring an in return the South Campus Garden receives plants and organic gardening supplies as a City Harvest member site. Dr. Delshad also works closely with the WCU resource pantry. She established weekly donations from the garden to the pantry in 2017 and helps with pantry dinners designed to familiarize students with how to use the garden produce.
Dr. Lynn Monahan
Dr. Lynn Monahan has nearly 20 years of experience as an educator, clinician and researcher. She is a registered dietitian and an assistant professor of Nutrition at West Chester University, where she teaches in both the undergraduate and the MS in Community Nutrition programs. She holds degrees from Rutgers University, West Chester University and the University of California at Berkeley. Her research interests include clinical nutrition (particularly PCOS and diabetes), food systems and nutrition policy with an emphasis in hunger, sustainability and the impact on public health. She has authored and co-authored various peer-reviewed articles and presented at international and national conferences on these topics.
Elizabeth Schultz
Elizabeth Schultz is a fourth year Political Science-International Relations major with minors in Spanish and Law, Politics, & Society. She grew up gardening with her family at her home in north-eastern Pennsylvania, and has worked with the university gardens since the start of her first year at WCU in 2017. Elizabeth splits her time between the North Campus, South Campus, and Tanglewood garden locations, and is responsible for weekly produce harvests.