University of Minnesota, Duluth
IN-3: Innovation 3

In 2010 UMD began a program replacing some grass and other open areas with edible vegetable gardens. Participants include a wide variety of campus groups and departments including UMD Office of Civic Engagement,UMD Sustainable Agriculture Project (SAP), Students for Sustainable Agriculture (SFSA), UMD Department of Anthropology, UMD Department of Geography, UMD Department of Biology UMD Facilities Management, UMD Health Services, University for Seniors, UMD Summer Senior Program, UMD Sustainability Office. UMD has multiple gardens located thoughout the campus and the three biggest ones are the Burlap garden, Salsa garden, and the Three Sisters garden. The Burlap garden can be found on the roof of the Life Science Building, adjacent to the greenhouse on Kirby Dr. It was constructed by volunteers in April 2010 as a collaborative effort between programs and departments from across the UMD campus. Some of the potential benefits of the garden (besides all of the delicious produce) include insulation for the Life Science building as well as absorbing storm water that would otherwise drain off the pavement as runoff. The Salsa garden located in front of the Solon Campus Center, has produce such as tomatoes, onions and peppers. This is a project headed by UMD Health Services for fall salsa making demonstrations. Finally the Three Sisters garden utilizes different characteristics of the plants to grow a healthy garden. The leaves of the squash plant are meant to shade the roots of the corn, while the corn stalks act as poles for the beans to attach to.