GCU students tend to their gardens and minds.
By Lauren Bender
Jeremiah 29:5 says, “Build us houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens and eat the fruit of them.” Grand Canyon University Gardening Club President Jeremy Fuentes follows this commandment as he wheels his wagon up to the campus garden where students sit in the pleasant atmosphere, surrounded by life in the form of plants, fruit trees and flower beds.
Fuentes puts on his apron and gloves in preparation for the weekly meeting as students wander in and begin pulling weeds, watering plants and harvesting and planting new crops for their garden bed. His passion for people fueled the motivation for starting a new club on campus.
“I’m a little bit in love with everyone that I meet. I come across someone new and there’s something about them that just infatuates me. I’m just in love with the human race. I just love people.”
Over the course of spring semester, the Gardening Club planted the Japanese root vegetable Kohlrabi, beets, radishes, oregano, broccoli, leeks, Swiss chard, arugula, spinach, sugar peas, red beans and even wildflowers. Any extra vegetables and herbs are placed in a box near the entrance of the garden for students to take, free of charge.
It is not uncommon for college students to experience mental health issues throughout their years at university. Research by the National Center for Biotechnology Information shows that high consumption of vegetables is associated with lower risk of depression and anxiety. Any student can plant specific to their own diets and favored foods, encouraging healthier food intake. Student garden worker Savannah Everett chooses to grow dill and green onions as she frequently uses these vegetables in her cooking and can avoid grocery shopping.
GCU’s Outdoor Recreation Club maintains the campus garden. Community is one of the garden’s main attractions, a common meeting place for students to relax and catch up with one another. Some just enjoy company while they do their schoolwork. This social interaction allows students to get to know each other and even assists in bettering their mental health.
Research by Joe Sempik, a researcher at the Centre for Child and Family Research at Loughborough University, shows that social and therapeutic horticulture provides opportunities for social contact, which can be valuable for those with mental health problems. At the GCU Gardening Club, students mingle with each other and share their excitement for gardening and getting their hands dirty. These interactions provide opportunities for students to practice their interpersonal skills.
Everett enjoys the social interaction in the garden.
“I can be kind of a chatterbox when I’m here. When we get started on a project it’s fun to be working and talking at the same time.”
Along with making great connections, gardening gives GCU students a sense of purpose.
“There’s a lot of pride in what we do, we build things,” Everett says. “I built this bench that we’re sitting on.”
Furniture made from scratch, paintings along the sides of the garden beds and shaded sitting areas give the GCU campus garden its character and creates a pleasing atmosphere.
Nicholas Rudgear, a GCU student counselor, explains other benefits on mental health. “With gardening, you’re taking care of something, you’re active… just being outside and getting sunlight can be helpful particularly for depression. Sometimes people don’t have enough vitamin D.”
While soaking in sunlight, gardening can also provide students with grounding therapy, which is a technique that involves physically touching earth. This may help relieve anxiety and depression. Another study by the National Library of Medicine shows that one hour of grounding therapy can improve mood. Walking outside barefoot, lying on the ground, submersing in water or gardening allow for direct contact to the ground.
Along with decorating personal spaces with plants, Rudgear encourages students to visit the campus garden to help better their mental health. He has talked with campus recreation about working with Student Care to be more officially connected to the garden.
Isaiah 61:11 says, “For as the soil makes the sprout come up and a garden causes seeds to grow, so the Sovereign LORD will make righteousness and praise spring up before all nations.”
For more information about the campus garden, contact the Outdoor Recreation Club or visit the garden located north of the Agave Apartments.