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by Terry Allan
An exciting new edible landscape and educational garden is growing at UC Davis. Situated at the heart of the newly opened Robert Mondavi Institute (RMI) for Wine and Food Science, the “Good Life Garden” features Seeds of Change vegetable, herb and flower varieties suitable for each of the region’s three growing seasons, all under organic management.
The mission of the Good Life Garden is to expose and educate a wide audience to the relationship between good food and good health. Toward that end, the garden includes detailed maps and interpretive displays explaining the nutritional attributes and horticultural requirements of the varieties currently planted. Concepts like companion planting, crop rotations and cover crops are demonstrated in the layout of the ever changing garden, and highlighted with strategically placed signs and graphics. Special events, tasting and sensory panels, and public workshops featuring the produce from the garden are hosted throughout the year. And everything is supported with an excellent website.
The beauty of the garden is more than enough to attract the attention of the over 1 million visitors who pass through the RMI courtyard each year. During the grand opening ceremony last fall several comments were overheard including: “This is the most interesting landscape on campus” and “I love the way they combined these vegetables with the flowers! Let’s try that at our house.” It was only after reading the signs that the last commenter realized that the flowers were intentionally placed to attract the beneficial insects that control aphids on the vegetable crop. The garden is obviously having its intended impact.
The success of the garden reflects the thoughtful design and inspired management of the project on the part of the UC Davis Facilities Maintenance team. Landscape Architect Christina DeMartini Reyes admits that designing with vegetable plants was a new concept. “But now that I am becoming more familiar with the vegetable species, it has opened up a whole new world of landscaping possibilities. The vegetable species offer a wide range of ornamental features – colors, textures, scents and even flowers – that it comes as somewhat of surprise to realize that you’re looking at a productive food garden.”
Sal Genito, Director of Buildings and Grounds, is especially excited by the ever changing nature of the plantings and believes it will draw a growing amount of interest. “The garden is a tremendous tangible expression of the more academic work being carried out in the Institute’s laboratories and classrooms. We can focus on different educational themes each season. The central location of the garden really helps tie all of the work together.”
A full time organic gardener has been hired to care for the Good Life Garden, as well as the more typical institutional landscape plantings surrounding the new complex. “If we can be successful using more sustainable management practices in this part of the campus landscape, we can extend those techniques to the campus as a whole,” says Cary Avery, the Superintendent of Buildings and Grounds.
Seeds of Change is excited to partner with UC Davis on this edible landscaping project, and has been providing technical assistance and advice, as well as seeds for the garden. It has proven to be an excellent showcase for our 100% organic varieties and demonstrates the viability, flexibility, and simple beauty of organic gardening.
To learn about the Good Life Garden and related events please visit www.goodlifegarden.ucdavis.edu.
Terry Allan
Seeds of Change Change West Coast Sales Representative
Photo Captions: (1) The Good Life Garden offers a pleasing geometry of tidy plant beds.
(2) L-R: Christina DeMartini Reyes, the garden's landscape architect, and Seeds of Change's Terry Allan and Lindsay Dozoretz
(3) Visitors take in the wonderful diversity of vegetables, herbs, and flowers.
(4) Interpretive signage educates visitors on the many concepts that the garden incorporates.
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