Students to grow veggies on campus

AUT students will grow their own vegetables on campus as part of an initiative to feed hungry learners.

Foodie Godmother, an open-door pantry on every AUT campus, was recently launched to provide students with free food and living essentials.

Now the AUT Students Association has started growing vegetables on the North Shore campus and will follow suit at its the south and city campuses. The vegetables will be available at no cost at the pantries.

Urshula Ansell, AUTSA special project officer, says she hopes both students and staff will take the opportunity to learn planting techniques.

“We want students to learn how to do it so they can do it in their own spaces if they have the resources at home.”

A planting workshop was to be held on the campus today to get seedlings planted before the mid-semester break.

The garden beds at the North Campus were donated by AUT, and the costs of the herb and vegetable seedlings was $60.

The garden beds need to be refreshing three to four times a year.

Ms Ansell says students should learn about the process of growing vegetables. “If they can learn to feed themselves in other ways, it would be helpful,” she says.