The JMU Edible Forest Garden (EFG) Project began in 2020 as an effort to beautify, diversify, and restore part of the campus landscape. The JMU EFG works to advance the mission of the university by offering unique and innovative educational and service-learning opportunities for students, alumni, staff, faculty, and community members. A central focus of the EFG is to enhance awareness of sustainable food production and whole food nutrition. Furthermore, the Forest Garden seeks to elevate the environmental sustainability of the institution by expanding pollinator habitat, restoring marginal soils, improving localized nutrient cycling, enhancing biodiversity, and providing local produce to the campus and community.
The JMU EFG is led by Dr. Mikaela Schmitt-Harsh but is a collaborative initiative involving faculty, staff, and students across different disciplines and colleges. The project was made possible by a generous donation from Danone N.A. through JMU Foundations.
Picture captions. Row 1. (1,2,3) Tree planting day (2021-10-15). Row 2. (1) Caging trees to slow deer damage (2021-11-19). (2) Digging an underground drip irrigation system (2022-04-28). (3) Mulching and tree growth (2022-09-09). Row 3. (1) Tree pruning workshop (2023-02-24). (2) Trees VA Board visiting the forest garden (2023-03-08). (3) Early plum bloom (2023-03-02).