SHREVEPORT – LSUS students and faculty crowded around tables Wednesday learning how to set up do-it-yourself mini greenhouses and succulent terrariums as part of the official opening ceremony for the LSUS Community Garden.
Red River Garden Club president Abigail Boykin, who is the driving force behind the first-ever campus community garden, orchestrated the ceremony and dished out horticulture knowledge.
“We started this endeavor months ago, and it’s amazing to see the support from students, faculty and staff,” Boykin, an LSUS history junior, told the assembled crowd. “We want to do more workshops like this in future semesters and really engage people to learn more about their health and well-being through horticulture.
“This garden will be something that will be here for years to come.”
Students and faculty were given seed packets and instructions on how to grow their own plants in the mini greenhouses. Purple gardening gloves were also handed out.
The club sold plants like the dogtail cactus and the frosty begonia.
Event goers enjoyed fresh yogurt parfait and vegetable cups.
The LSUS biology club set up displays to further enrich the event offerings, teaching participants about the misnomer of the palm tree among other things.
The garden club planted tomatoes, peppers, melons and herbs this past week with harvest expected in early summer.
The crop will be donated to the LSUS Food Pantry, which assists low-income students with access to fresh and nutritious food.
Shreveport Green helped the club install six raised garden beds, and Lex Farms has been instrumental in donating seeds.
To learn more about the Red River Garden Club, biology club or any LSUS student organization, visit lsus.presence.io.
