Sophomore Felipe Aedo, an environmental studies major, said the garden is in its fifth year of operation. The garden is managed by a group unofficially dubbed MCLA Garden.

 

The group plants a variety of fruits and vegetables, including yellow cherry tomatoes, garlic, radishes and kale, in the garden outside Smith House. The late-harvest plants are used for the annual sustainability themed Thanksgiving dinner, which Aedo said was highly attended last year.

 

"This year, we want to do this bigger and more local," Aedo said.

 

The MCLA Garden also works with eight other local community gardens by sharing its stockpile of seedlings that students manage in the greenhouse, Aedo said.

 

On Friday, they started work by raking out the leaves and clearing out debris. Richard Doucette, a junior and environmental studies major, said the new location of the admissions office will give the garden more exposure than before.

 

"It's definitely a priority to keep the garden tidy," Doucette said.

 

Caroline Scully, a part-time researcher with the environmental studies program, said having an established community garden is important for any college's sustainability program.

 

"Every college with a solid sustainability program has a community garden," Scully said.