Building Community Through Gardening

Someday, youngsters who attended last week's Nature Adventure Camp at Sarah P. Duke Gardens will return to see the bounty of their work -- herbs they planted in a new community garden called The Honey Patch.

And that's just the experience a group of students from the Duke Apiary Club and the Nicholas School of the Environment had in mind when they created the garden: a place where all members of the community could garden and harvest together.

The Duke students had planted vegetables in the garden in the spring. The campers were able to add an herb garden to the bounty by planting dill, basil and parsley plants.

"We were excited by the opportunity to provide a place where children could actually put plants in the ground, learn about the workings of a vegetable garden and be part of this community-building mission," said Annie Nashold, Duke Gardens' director of children's education and family programs, who developed the camp. "Gardening is a life-long pursuit that connects all cultures and ages and is a wonderful way to care for the Earth and oneself."

Nature Adventures Camp helps that happen by combining scientific and creative work through hands-on discovery and experiential learning. During the Honey Patch visit on the first day of the week-long day-camp, for instance, campers saw bee hives, a composting station and water systems. They also spent many hours during the week exploring nature in the broader gardens and woods. The camp features two week-long sessions.

Kellyn Shoecraft, a Nicholas School graduate student, helped lead the planting and showed the campers around the garden. After she explained the mission of The Honey Patch, several campers said they were excited by the possibility of coming back with their families to harvest the herbs they had planted.

For now, The Honey Patch garden, located in a fenced-off area bordering Anderson Street, is open only to the Duke community. Organizers hope to expand its scope in the future.