Jordan Stevens wasn’t much of a green thumb when she first started volunteering at the kitchen garden but is now harvesting gorgeous daikon radishes. Photo: Lucy Ridge.
Nestled in the ANU campus is a garden oasis where students can take a break from their study schedules and reconnect with nature.
The ANU kitchen garden has been running since 2022 and is a space for students to get their hands dirty and access fresh, healthy food.
The health benefits of gardening are well-known: some doctors even prescribe time in the garden to boost mental health. And for students who spend a lot of their time indoors on laptops or reading, the kitchen garden is an opportunity to “touch grass”, or even better, touch vegetables, herbs and good, healthy soils.
Arian McVeigh coordinates the garden, which hosts harvest sessions, gardening bees and shared meals, workshops and events. Beyond growing food, she told Region the garden addressed issues of disconnection and loneliness for students.
“The kitchen garden is about connecting people with people and people with nature, with a focus on caring for the environment,” she said.
“And growing, preparing and sharing good, healthy food.”
Harvest giveaways allow students to take home fresh vegetables. Photo: Arian McVeigh.
Activities are free for students to attend. One week they might be harvesting tomatoes and making chutney or planting out new seedlings.
The weekly lunch is an opportunity for students to make cross-cultural connections and get to know people who they otherwise might not interact with – those doing a different degree, living on different parts of campus or from different backgrounds.
Many of the activities are drop-in sessions but a few, like the weekly lunch, require free registration to manage participant numbers.
A recent lunch saw 25 students work together to cook up two huge and delicious pots of soup – pumpkin soup with miso and a lentil and vegetable soup. Students also took leftovers to fuel them through study sessions.
“No-one needs to be a master chef to join in a kitchen garden cooking session, it’s a great way to gain confidence and learn some skills to make easy, budget friendly, nutritious and delicious meals as well as meeting new people and having fun,” said Arian.
Some regular volunteers sign up to be on the roster for regular jobs like watering the garden or turning the compost. But many participants just pop in when they have time.
There are also two paid student leaders who help to facilitate the garden’s programs.
From left: Kitchen garden student leader Jordan Stevens, coordinator Arian McVeigh and student leader Tessa Chancellor during a recent Soup Day. Photo: Arian McVeigh.
Student leader Jordan Stevens is an Environmental Policy student. She told Region she hadn’t done much gardening before coming to ANU, but had really enjoyed her participation in the kitchen garden, first as a volunteer and now as a casual staff member.
“It’s refreshing to have space to make mistakes,” she said.
“Uni can be so stressful and there’s a lot of pressure to do well, so it’s nice to have a space where it doesn’t matter if that plant dies: that’s okay! We’ll plant another one!”
When harvests are at their peak, the team will set up trestle tables and distribute produce to students to take home and cook. Arian said they were often incredulous that they could take it for free.
Students are also welcome to harvest the fruits and vegetables from the garden: there is a whole section of herbs which are delicious in tea, for example.
Students regularly gather for gardening bees to plant and harvest vegetables. Photo: Arian McVeigh.
ANU kitchen garden. Photo: Arian McVeigh.
Worms busily turning food scraps into soil at the worm farm. Photo: Lucy Ridge.
The garden has several raised beds, fruit trees, herb garden, compost and worm farms. Photo: Lucy Ridge.
The heart of the kitchen garden is The Plot, shown here in autumn. Photo: Arian McVeigh.
Previous workshops have included how to grow micro greens or sprouts at home, how to set up a compost bin and an introduction to worm farming.
On average, the garden sees about 60 students participating in activities each week, with peaks and troughs across the semester.
“Students aren’t coming to ANU to learn how to farm and that’s not our aim,” Arian says.
“This is an opportunity to learn about the importance and value of local regenerative food. It also shows them ways to take small, meaningful climate action.
“We want to inspire and empower.”
Find out more about the ANU Kitchen Garden Program, or follow Student Life on Facebook or Instagram to stay up to date with events.
