The Goucher Garden Club is one of the newest student organizations that brings many benefits to the Goucher community. For students looking for a sense of community and are interested in gardening and the environment, this club is the perfect opportunity! The Garden Club gives students a sense of belonging through improving Goucher’s environment and providing food for their community. As students grow a variety of plants, they’ll be making Goucher’s campus healthier and more welcoming.
Brooke Fitchett (2026) is an Environmental Studies major with a passion for plants and the environment who has organized the re-establishment of the community garden. Brooke restarted the Garden Club because of the lack of community that they felt during the beginning of the semester. They wanted to encourage other students to help make Goucher greener. “I feel like this has been a space where we have been able to achieve some of the building of a sense of community on campus,” Brook explains. “In this specific context, where it’s student led. I’m really excited to tell people about plants. We need a sense of community here on campus.” The Garden Club is a space for students to learn how to do landscaping and grow plants. The club has many opportunities for members to develop their interests where there is room in the garden, such as making a mushroom bed after people expressed interest in growing mushrooms.
Throughout the semester, the plants growing on campus have had great development. One type of plant that Brook is excited to plant is the pom pom tree. So far, the club members have planted 5-6 small trees. Students are eager to plant more species over time because they will grow large enough to share with other people. The main purpose of the club is sharing, which members express by sharing plants, knowledge, and hard work with the wider Goucher community. Brooke has many future plans for the club including establishing perennial plant gardens, especially for native plants, and planting food crops for other students. They also have plans to expand the club’s reach. “We’ll be collaborating with other community groups outside of Goucher’s campus, including historic East Towson sites,” Brooke says. “Hopefully we’ll have some projects prepared for the fall, including planting pumpkins so that we can do pumpkin carvings, or other cooking… activities.”
Goucher’s Garden Club ensures that people will enjoy planting a variety of plants and trees, while developing a sense of belonging as they work with the soil and each other. Gardening provides a diverse space where students can feel included on campus, which is rooted in feeling connected with the environment. Those who are interested in joining the club can contact Brook and are always welcome to help out in the community garden. The garden is located behind Welsh Hall, which is next to the Athenaeum.
By Kristen Wheeler, ’25
