The Penn State Brandywine campus garden’s expansion project, which began in January, was officially completed with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Sept. 14.

The garden space expanded from 2,500 square feet to 3,600 square feet, making room for more crops to grow.

The garden enhancements were funded with a grant from the Office of the Vice President for Commonwealth Campuses.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony featured a catered lunch, pepper taste-testing, live music from the Brandywine Music Association, giveaways, and the opportunity to harvest vegetables and herbs from the garden.

Christine Brown, interim Rosenberg Director of the Center for Social Impact, said the garden brought the Brandywine community together.

“The ribbon-cutting ceremony, and even the garden as a whole, was able to create a community at Brandywine and in Delaware County,” Brown said. “It was a great opportunity to bring everyone together, from faculty, staff, and students to Penn State Extension’s Delaware County Master Gardeners and other members of the community.”

Penn State Brandywine Chancellor Marilyn J. Wells envisioned the garden expansion and helped get the funding to make it come to life.

“Gardens have been such a part of my life throughout the years,” she said. “My grandparents and parents all gardened while I was growing up. Gardens really bring the intellectual, physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being of people together. This space is the heart, mind, and soul of our campus, and I couldn’t be prouder and more excited to be here and to honor my relatives who came before me.”

The campus garden is a space at Brandywine between the Vairo Library and Orchard Hall where students, faculty, and staff can connect with nature, whether it’s through learning about how plants grow, picking vegetables or using it as a spot for peacefulness and relaxation.

Everyone in the community can volunteer at the garden. Most notably, the Delaware County Master Gardeners often volunteer in the garden and have greatly helped the expansion. Two master gardeners, Joe and Joanne Patti, pick flowers from the garden often to give to ill residents at Granite Farms Estates, a 55-and-over community in Media.

Although the Center for Social Impact hosts garden-harvest volunteer days on Wednesdays, people can visit the garden any day of the week, whether they want to pick their favorite vegetables or aid in planting seeds.

Read more about the impact of Penn State Brandywine’s campus garden.