My hopes of having a fabulous garden this summer are drying up as several of the plants sit on my patio still waiting to be planted. There just hasn’t been time to dig up the clayish soil, fold in good soil, and get the durn things planted. I do have some basil and tomato plants hastily stuck in one of my raised beds, but it’s not the glorious garden I’d envisioned.
The reasons to have a garden in the backyard were numerous. I wanted to save money at the grocery store. I wanted to enjoy the fresh-from-the-garden tastes of tomatoes and peppers and cilantro. I wanted my kids to get to participate in the excitement of planting and tending and harvesting.
Thanks to the Butler Campus Farm, all my hopes are not dashed.
As the name indicates, the Butler Campus Farm is located on the campus of Butler University on the north side of Indianapolis. The 1/2 acre organic farm is bound by the Butler Prairie, the intramural athletic fields, the tennis courts and the White River canal. Click here for specific directions.
If you want to introduce your children to gardening, but don’t have the time or space to do it at home, consider volunteering at the Butler Campus Farm! Volunteers of all ages are welcome at the following times:
Tuesdays 12 – 1 p.m.
Wednesdays 5 – 7 p.m.
Saturdays 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
If another time works better for you or you’d like to bring a group, send a note to farm at butler dot edu.
In exchange for your time, you’ll get not only the satisfaction that comes from getting your hands dirty, but you also may take fresh produce from the farm home with you. The list of crops growing on the farm is a mile long (ok, not really a mile…), but it includes several varieties of beans and lettuce, tomatoes, corn, popcorn, squash, peppers and herbs.
To purchase produce from the Butler Campus Farm, head to the gazebo located between Atherton Student Center and Jordan Hall on Tuesdays from 5 – 7 p.m. and Thursdays from 12 – 1 p.m. Surplus produce is donated to the St. Thomas Aquinas Food Pantry at 46th and Illinois Streets.
Tags: Butler University, fresh produce, gardening, gardening with kids, organic farming
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Sounds cool. I didn’t know about a garden like this in the city. Thanks for sharing.
This is awesome, Amy!! I had no idea!
That is such a great idea. I too had ever intention of doing a garden this year, but thought my little ones might get into it too much. This would be a great way of getting my hands dirty and getting some great produce.
I believe Greenwood has a garden area as well. I think thought that it is a “rental” garden area and grow what you want. From what I have heard the wait list is pretty long though.
Danielle, I know that Pike Township has garden plots you can rent. But this Butler Farm idea is kind of cool because it lets you get a taste of gardening (pun intended) without having to be tied down to all the maintenance.
Jennifer and Liz – I wouldn’t have known about it either, except that I’m a Butler alum and read about it in an e-mail. Since this is the first year for the farm, I hope that it really flourishes.