The first thing Brittney Portes does in the mornings when she opens the gates to the University\u2019s community garden, is check on the vegetables, and the bunnies. She discovered a nest this summer and despite how they nibble on lettuce, \u201cI don\u2019t have the heart to remove them,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
Luckily there\u2019s plenty to go around. The garden at ÌÇÐÄvlog is flourishing. Zucchinis, corn, carrots and beets. Tomatoes, cucumbers, okra and squash \u2013 most of the harvest is donated to the Red Hawk Pantry. \u201cThere are so many different fun options in the garden right now,\u201d Portes says.<\/p>\n
Portes is the lead gardener of the community plots, a green space tucked behind the Student Center and run by the\u00a0PSEG Institute for Sustainability Studies<\/a>\u00a0(PSEG ISS). A plastic owl stands guard to scare away birds, and sunflowers stand 10 feet tall. It\u2019s a labor of love for about 100 Montclair staff, faculty and students, and over summer break, campers from inner-cities who pitched in planting, tending and harvesting.<\/p>\n