Columbia Professor Thomas Vaughan has a long history of gardening. Wanting to bring his love of gardening to the Columbia community, Vaughan reached out to Facilities and Operations for help.
Vaughan had an idea to create a communal garden on the Morningside campus and asked Helen Bielak, operations manager of environmental stewardship, if he could use a small plot of green space behind Uris Hall for his endeavor. After Bielak gave Vaughan her blessing, she introduced him to Grounds Manager Richard Bussert for gardening support. Bussert and the Grounds team were able to help Vaughan get the garden up and running by providing top soil, hoses, tools, and assistance with digging and planting seeds.
The garden - named the George Washington Carver Victory Garden in honor of the esteemed agricultural scientist and inventor - has flourished and has gone on to raise an assortment of vegetables, including carrots, corn, beets, turnips, collards, spinach, peas, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, squash, beans, peppers, kale, broccoli, and cucumbers.
Read more about the George Washington Carver Victory Garden from Columbia Magazine.
