When we first interviewed Chef Chris Shultz to manage our food service operations, he asked if we would allow him and his brother, Matt, to put in a garden at Pecometh. He talked about how great it would be to grow fresh produce to serve to our guests. Chris and Matt had been gardening about ½ acre for the past couple years and selling it at the local farmers’ market. Matt is a horticulturalist who works in tech services for an agronomic products supplier. The idea of bringing their expertise to bear on a Pecometh garden got us really excited.
That idea is becoming a reality. Chris and Matt have developed a concept for a 1.5 acre sustainable garden right in the center of camp. The garden is already producing lettuce. Spring planting is just beginning. To understand how it works, it helps to understand the cycle of sustainability:
Reuse materials
Even before planting, the ground can be prepared by using compost. Composting organic food waste from our dining room and dining hall reduces landfill waste and naturally enriches the garden soil. Materials can also be reused in garden infrastructure. Delmarva Power recently replaced the power poles along Lands End Road. They donated the old poles to Pecometh, which we’ll use for fence posts to surround the garden.
On Volunteer Day, we’ll have help to cut down the ailanthus trees that have invaded our forest tree lines. Ironically, the ailanthus is called the Tree of Heaven. Imported as an ornamental from China, it is an invasive species that overtakes forest edges causing habitat damage. We’ll use the ailanthus for garden fence rails providing the double-benefit of reusing materials while removing invasive species.
Finally, Matt and Chris have been saving seeds for several years. Instead of buying seeds or plants, they use seeds harvested from last year. Some are started under lights and re-planted, while others are planted directly. This is a cornerstone of sustainable gardening and really is the practice that closes the loop from one year to the next. More on that later.
Treat the Earth Gently
Chris and Matt focus on three main practices in cultivation: crop rotation, attracting beneficial insects and organic materials use.
The Pecometh garden is divided into four parts to allow for crop rotation that maintains a healthy balance of nutrients in the soils. One section will be used for perennials, such as herbs, berries and some ornamentals. The other three sections will be rotated on a three-year cycle, varying what is planted, as well as allowing a section to lie fallow every three years. The biblical practice of the Sabbath year for the soil (Exodus 23:11) was intended to allow the soil to renew, as well as to allow the poor to eat from what grew naturally in the uncultivated land.
Beneficial insects are predators of garden pests and provide a natural means of pollination. Creating an eco-system that attracts insects such as ladybugs, lacewings and ground beetles allows for a pesticide-free environment. The attracted insects also serve as pollinators, ensuring a healthy and diverse garden. Sunflowers, black-eyed susans, purple cone flowers, poppies, dill, fennel and rosemary, among others, all attract beneficial insects.
Sustainable gardening is not just pesticide-free. It is also fertilizer-free. Nutrients are provided through compost and soil balance is maintained using organic materials. The Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI) evaluates and certifies materials for use in organic agriculture. Organic materials can be sophisticated, such as commercially develop biological control agents or nutrients. They can also be as simple as baking soda (potassium bicarbonate) or epsom salts (magnesium sulfate). Organic materials work in harmony with nature, not against it.
Garden to Table
While 1.5 acres is not going to feed all of our guests at Pecometh, it will produce a significant amount of food, as well as educate campers, students and guests about the importance of locally produced food. It not only tastes good, but it also saves energy by reducing the cost of harvesting, packaging and transportation. We had a men’s group this weekend and they ate salad made with our garden spring mix. Two men marveled that it was the best lettuce they’d ever tasted. That’s what we love to hear.
We’re excited by the prospect of allowing guests at Pecometh to pick their own food from the garden, weather permitting, of course. Whether it’s lettuce, melons, berries, squash or whatever else is in season, there is something special about eating food one just picked from the earth. Plus, it just tastes better.
We’re hoping that the experience might encourage some people to consider frequenting their local farmer’s market, joining a CSA (community-supported agriculture) or starting their own garden. All are great ways to help reduce one’s carbon footprint and to eat better tasting food.
Seed Saving
Seed saving used to be a necessity. Planting this year’s crop depended on having seed from the previous year. It’s no longer as critical, but seed saving is an important sustainable practice. It helps preserve desirable traits, saves energy and, over time, allows plants to adapt to the local environment. Seed saving requires a knowledge of when each plant goes to seed, as well as how to remove, clean and store them. It’s worth the effort.
What’s the Point
One of the Seven Foundations of United Methodist Camp and Retreat Ministries is to teach creation care and appreciation in the following ways:
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Encourage people to listen in new ways, because the creation speaks of God
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Provide people the opportunity to learn more about the natural world for it is a source of wisdom
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Expand the meaning of beloved community
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Introduce and implement practices of earth care that honor God’s covenants with creation
A sustainable garden is an outdoor classroom that creates these kinds of experiences for students, campers and retreat guests. It gives people a greater connection to creation and, in this case, to the gift of food that comes through careful cultivation. It can transform attitudes and behaviors in positive ways that foster an appreciation for all that God provides. If it inspires just one person to be more intentional as a steward of God’s creation, then it will be worth it.