Hadley Bierma/Emerald

Gardening may feel intimidating, especially for a busy student on a budget. With limited time, money and space, it can be hard to know where to begin.

“I just am so surprised by all the things you have to learn. It’s definitely war,” landscape architecture student Ella Jeanseau said. “This got eaten, and that got burnt up. This little mini-war that you’re starting outside. But with patience, you have so much creating that you get to do.”

For students looking to take advantage of Eugene’s peak gardening season, University of Oregon gardeners share tips to make gardening more accessible. They note that the benefits of gardening extend beyond harvest, providing a natural outlet for stress, physical exercise and a sense of community, whether it’s container gardening on a patio, a backyard raised bed, a windowsill herb garden or shared gardening spaces.

Through involvement in the student-run UO Grove Community Garden, journalism student Skylar DeBose cultivates their gardening hobby, despite living in an apartment without an outdoor space.

“I feel it’s a lot easier to just connect with people and make conversation when you’re doing something with your hands,” DeBose said.

Campus resources like the Grove Garden and the urban farm course provide students access to materials, space and guidance. Work parties offer students opportunities to get involved and leverage connections to access free resources.

University of Oregon Professor and Director of Urban Farm Harper Keeler stresses the importance of staying in tune with your local gardening network, even beyond campus.

“Meeting your neighbor has 10 benefits. You share food, you share information, you share your compost,” Keeler said. “The fact that we have a lawn mower in every garage is absurd … We could have two lawn mowers for the whole block.”

Students can find affordable gardening resources scattered throughout Eugene. Plant starts are often covered by EBT. The Eugene Public Library offers a seed library to all, and second-hand stores like BRING Recycling are a great resource for buying cheap tools and materials.

Gardeners often have more than they need, making Facebook gardening groups or even a knock on a neighbor’s door a great place to score free compost, soil, seeds and plant starts.

Gardening also provides an opportunity to learn and navigate the natural environment. Jeanseau speaks to her experience, describing it as a war against her pea plants, which were first eaten by squirrels and then by slugs.

As it turns out, slugs really like beer. More than peas.

 “I went to the shop around the corner to buy beer, but it wasn’t for me. It was for my slugs,” Jeanseau said. “Maybe most college students are not buying beer for their slugs, but here we are.”

Beyond lessons in bugs, birds and soil, these gardeners mention a deeper mind-body connection the process offers.  

“Getting dirty is Zen,” Keeler said, describing gardening as a meditative process. “Gardening is a way to get out of your head a little bit and do something kind and speculative.”

For Jeanseau, the process is also about accepting the role of creator and destroyer. “You get to destroy things and be frustrated, and you also get to create things and make life happen,” she said. “Finding something that has a simple reward, that isn’t scrolling, (is) so crucial, especially for our generation, (to find) something that connects us to something a little bit bigger than us. I feel a little bit smaller when I’m in my garden, and I think that’s a good thing.”