By: Bailey Wheeler 

It’s official: Spring has arrived at the University of Arkansas. As the weather warms, tulips can be spotted from Silas Hunt Hall to Old Main. As gardening begins around campus, the smell of fertilizer has become an integral part of any walk across campus. 

Sydney Talley, a U of A senior, attests that gardening on campus encompasses more than flowers. Talley has been a part of the Volunteer Action Center since her sophomore year, and is now the Garden and Sustainability coordinator with the Full Circle Food Pantry. Talley’s day-to-day consists of taking care of the garden, as well implementing sustainable practices like making compost out of dented can donations.  

The Full Circle Food Pantry Garden has expanded in recent years, and is now operated year round. While Talley is limited to plants that thrive in Arkansas soil, she works alongside other VAC members to ensure that some crops widely used internationally are a priority. During the summer, cherry tomatoes and squash leaves are well loved by clients. 

The VAC garden operates as a community garden. Clients of the food pantry are encouraged to harvest from the garden, as well as wander between the garden beds. As clients engage with the garden, they are able to make the space theirs. 

“I think we should be more connected to our food systems. Growing food reminds you where it comes from and what it takes to get what comes onto your plate,” Talley said. 

Jayna Ravula, an agricultural leadership major with a minor in horticulture, grew up gardening alongside her parents. Living in an apartment, she grows her plants in containers to maximize her space. In the future, she wants to move into a house to have a larger garden. 

While Ravula’s parents taught her some of what she knows about gardening, she took it upon herself to learn more. In her hometown there is a discount bookstore with a whole section dedicated to books on plants. Oftentimes, the books contained fun facts. 

“I like that a literal plant can make food that nourishes my body. I feel pride and joy being able to pick my herbs and pick my tomatoes that I grew and I didn’t have to spend $3 at Walmart,” Ravula said. 

At the grocery store, she noticed that herbs were sold in big bundles while she only needed a little bit at a time. More than that, the produce sold at the grocery store was really expensive. This inspired her to grow her own herbs. While Ravula has shared cuttings of her plants with friends, it is through cooking that she most often shares her harvest. 

Simon Todd, a horticulture major, grew up surrounded by gardening. His mom has always maintained a garden, and eventually Todd started his own. Todd describes his style of gardening as lazy gardening, because he does not want to have to work hard maintaining it. In Todd’s garden there is no planting of annuals, weeding, mowing, or fertilizing involved. 

“I really like sitting outside and being lazy outside. I like sitting in my hammock and reading my book and knitting on my porch with my dog, and I like it being pretty when I do,” Todd said. 

Todd grows a variety of plants in his garden ranging from wildflowers to herbs. While he used to buy herbs at the grocery store, he was inspired by the rising price of produce to grow his own. In Todd’s herb garden he grows dill, parsley, cilantro, basil and mint. 

Many chain stores, like Walmart or Target, sell packets of seeds. When bought in bulk, the seed packs are cheap and allow a gardner to easily grow a wide variety of plants. Todd explained that seed packs can be a great way to grow plants that attract native pollinators.

Laura Pitts, a masters student at the U of A, grows a variety of plants in her graden. When she first started gardening, she focused on attracting pollinators. Pitts initially purchased a seed pack that advertised saving the bees. However, after researching the seeds in the packet she realized that several of the seeds were invasive. 

“It was super hard for me to comprehend that I can just so easily start causing that much harm. It  feels like the ability to go into your backyard and start a wildfire, but an organic one,” Pitts said. 

While Todd has not encountered problems with seed packs, he has run into a few of his own problems with chain stores. Todd has had difficulty shopping for plants at Walmart, because the plants are often mislabeled. 

“If I go to a store and see a plant I don’t necessarily recognize, I need to know how to water, how deep to dig a hole to bury it, and how much sunlight it needs. I just look up the name on the tag and the name on the tag is wrong at least a 3rd of the time,” said Todd. 

While gardening can be challenging, with every year you work in the garden you learn new skills, said Ravula. 

While some helpful gardening information can be found on online platforms like TikTok or Instagram, there are several local gardening initiatives. For online resources, the U of A cooperative extension website provides a depth of helpful gardening tips. If looking for physical resources, the Dickson Street Bookstore has a section dedicated to plants. 

“I think gardening is a really good way to ground yourself. It ‘s nice to get your hands on dirt, and  plants and earth, and the smell of water, rain ,and fertilizer,” Pitts said.