Gardening Club found its beginnings with the University of California, Riverside (UCR)’s R’Garden and has since expanded and supported the singular plot of the agricultural space on campus. Helping students connect with nature and having fun while doing so has been their message for years, and this year leadership plants focus on reconnecting with their roots and helping support the dying project.
Aye Aye Htet, third-year sociology and education major and president of Gardening Club, joined as a freshman for a dream catcher making event that they had. She found herself attending more club activities and joined their board first as an outreach coordinator.
Htet went on to describe the club’s origins and her goals as club president, stating, “Gardening Club started as a way to help the R’Garden. It was started by the R’Garden interns as a way to help fight food insecurity [and] to get more funding.”
In recent years, focus has shifted away from the R’Garden, but now that the project is in danger, Htet wants to shift the focus once again. With that goal in mind, Htet has made significant strides towards reconnecting the club to the R’Garden by “being more involved, getting to know the leadership at the R’Garden and trying to show up when they [need] volunteers.”
The club’s president also mentioned wanting to host more events at the R’Garden plots at Lot 30 where people plant and de-weed together. Htet stated that events on campus get more turnout due to their arts and crafts activities and their closer proximity to students. However, the club has been working towards hosting more events in Lot 30. For their event on April 18 at the R’Garden, the club provided free shuttles from the Pentland Hills roundabout to Lot 30 making their event more accessible, all the while keeping the club connected to its origins of sustainability.
The club’s board meets on Monday evenings at 8 p.m. at the Thomas Rivera Library, but mostly holds do-it-yourself events for members not on board. In the past, they have had events that have ranged from flower crown making to cement block painting. They have an upcoming recycling and pot painting event planned for Earth Day on April 22 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Highlander Union Building (HUB) 260.
Htet also described the way that R’Garden works, explaining that they have plots that people can use to plant various types of plants, fruits and vegetables, with Gardening Club having their own plot. Htet went on to explain that “every quarter, we try to do [something] with new plants. Right now we’re planting tomatoes, corn, watermelons and bell peppers. So every time we go there, usually, we end up de-weeding.”
The club has faced struggles specifically in regards to the R’Garden and getting enough attendance and turnout for events. Because the R’Garden is far from the main campus, very few people show up to events situated there. The club is brainstorming ways to arrange transportation and get more people to be exposed to the garden.
Htet explained that she hopes club members learn leadership skills as they practice planning for events, speaking in meetings and continuing their mission of advocacy. Gardening club often collaborates with other clubs and departments with events such as lip balm making and avocado tasting.
The club’s atmosphere is very close and collaborative as board members are friendly and welcoming. Htet herself encourages anyone who wants to try gardening to take the plunge: “I would advise them to just do it, because if you are researching, [it] is important too, but it will push you to research when you have a plant right in front of you.”
Htet emphasized the community nature of the R’Garden and Gardening Club, “it is started by students, for the students, and then it has been around [for] many years. We started [it] to help the student(s) which one of our mission(s) is sustainability, food insecurity, community gardening.”
The R’Garden referendum will be up for vote in this year’s ASUCR elections, and the Gardening Club’s mission will put it and the students body’s efforts to the test.
