The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Gardening Club is still growing since it took root in October three years ago. The club members meet Wednesdays at 7 p.m. in the Upham Greenhouse to shares skills for growing food with the campus.

“My interest stemmed from growing up with plants and loving plants, but I wanted to enrich my education for them, and this was such a perfect opportunity,” said club president Gwenna Yakes. The Gardening Club opened its arms to whoever wants to learn about plants, and it is a great way to reduce stress. I wanted to become more involved with the Gardening Club so I became the communications officer and loved the connection to everyone that came.”

A big part of gardening is growing organic food.

“We work with the sustainability office so we grow anything from tomatoes, kale, herbs, berries, and cucumbers,” she said.

“I grew food over the summer and I have a plot in the community garden so I was able to see the process over the summer,” Yakes said. 

Harrison Dilts is now the communications officer who described the role as “corresponding emails to members and contacting other organizations for collaborations.”

Dilts also states that he loves being a part of the garden club because the weather has been nice and they recently toured the campus to learn about different species of plants.

“I am most excited for our upcoming event where we will be planting succulents and bamboo from seeds,” said Dilts.

The collaborations Dilts is referring to is with Active Minds, which is a student-led mental health promotion and advocacy group, the Ecology Club and Best Buddies, which matches people with intellectual disabilities with college students.

Wes Enterline is the advisor for the Gardening Club and had this to say about his favorite event, “My favorite event is the meeting during the first week of May when we plant the first seedlings in the Campus Garden for the year.”

The Gardening Club works hard to grow the seedlings and helps the Sustainability staff keep the plants watered and well cared for in the Upham Greenhouse.

If you want more information on the Gardening Club you can find them on connect, the facebook page UWW Gardening Club, Instagram, and email uwwgardenclub.edu for more updates about upcoming events.