Sister Ann Marie Quinn here from St. Vincent Mission in David, KY. Check out the article in our local newspaper, The Floyd County Times.

The Community Garden at Big Sandy Community and Technical College will hold a Garden Party at 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 22. Shown are volunteers Joe Campbell, Dr. Tom Vierheller, Paula Preece and Tammy Ball.

BSCTC Community Garden

 

PRESTONSBURG — The Community Garden on the Prestonsburg campus of Big Sandy Community and Technical College (BSCTC) will host a Garden Party in conjunction with Earth Day on Wednesday, April 22 at 12:30 p.m.

 

Established in 2012, the BSCTC Community Garden has produced tons of fresh produce to the Fishes and Loaves food pantry at the St. James Episcopal Church. Last year alone, more than 2,000 pounds of produce was picked from the garden.

 

The garden is maintained by a group of BSCTC employees on the Prestonsburg campus. They include: Kandi Holbrook, Dr. Tom Vierheller, Joe Campbell, Dr. Bill Loftus, Susan Scott, Suzy Madden and Tammy Ball.

 

“This is an opportunity to bring awareness to our efforts in sustainability and promote the vast benefits of growing your own food,” said Dr. Tom Vierheller, a professor of Biology at BSCTC. “Our community garden is a great way for us to practice sustainability, while assisting local food pantries during months we harvest.”

 

During the Garden Party, visitors will get to tour the Community Garden, take part in gardening and sustainability demonstrations and obtain information on gardening and sustainability efforts.

 

At peak growing season, the community garden will have beans, tomatoes, peppers, kale, spinach, broccoli, peas, carrots, onions, corn, kohlrabi, cucumbers and a variety of herbs. The garden does not use soil enhancers or pesticides.

 

The garden was created through the support of Grow Appalachia, a program at Berea College that seeks to solve pervasive food insecurity issues by restoring the relationship between people and land.

 

For more information on the Garden Party, contact Tammy Ball at (606) 889-4787 or email tammy.ball@kctcs.edu.