Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon Portland Community College

Learning Gardens

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Here at PCC, we have a learning garden on each campus and at our Newberg Center. These spaces are always open to PCC students, staff and faculty with various work parties and volunteer opportunities. PCC Learning Gardens provide students the opportunity for hands-on outdoor learning as well as fresh food growing in the gardens.

Cascade Urban Learning Garden breaks ground!Garlic harvest with volunteers in the Learning Garden

Events

Seed Share and Learning Event

Come get some free seeds for your garden and share some seeds if you have some. You can also learn about seed sovereignty, seed growing and seed keeping! PCC Learning Gardening folks will be on hand to chat and share what is going on in the garden and on campus.

Event Time, Dates and locations:

  • Sylvania: Monday 2/13 10-2pm (CC Welcome Pole)
  • Southeast: 2/17 Friday 11am-1pm (Library)
  • Newberg: 2/15 – Time 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm (Main Commons)
  • Rock Creek: 2/9 & 2/16 11am-1pm (Library – upstairs in Building 9)
  • Cascade: 2/14 Tuesday 11am-1pm (Library)

Questions? Contact Moonrose Doherty

Volunteer

You are welcome to stop by the gardens at the below times to volunteer your time. No experience or tools necessary. We are excited to welcome volunteers back!

Sylvania Campus – Mondays, 10am-2pm

Rock Creek Campus – Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 12-2pm

Jobs

Please see the PCC Work Study page for available positions or email sustainability@pcc.edu. Please note that not all positions may be available at this time.

Cascade Learning Garden
Learning Garden Assistants (On-Campus and Remote Work)

We have hired for fall term. Please check back in February when we’ll do our spring hiring.

Full list of job duties and qualifications for Cascade Learning Garden Assistants

Must be taking 6 credits per quarter and be approved for federal work study. Please confirm your eligibility for work study before applying. Work study positions pay $14 per hour. Please email your cover letter and resume to jolie.donohue@pcc.edu.

Rock Creek Learning Garden
Southeast Learning Garden
Learning Garden Assistants (On-Campus and Remote Work)

We have hired for fall term. Please check back in February when we’ll do our spring hiring.

Full list of job duties and qualifications for Cascade Learning Garden Assistants

Must be taking 6 credits per quarter and be approved for federal work study. Please confirm your eligibility for work study before applying. Work study positions pay $14 per hour. Please email your cover letter and resume to jolie.donohue@pcc.edu.

Sylvania Environmental Center and Learning Garden

Resources

Sylvania Environmental Center

The PCC Sylvania Environmental Center promotes sustainability, education, and action. We invite students to protect and sustain our local and global community. We are located in the Science Technology building, ST 213. Our office hours are Monday and Wednesday 8:30am – 5pm, Tuesday and Thursday 8:30am-2:30pm, Friday 9am – 3pm. Email peter.ritson@pcc.edu if you have any questions.

Rock Creek Garden Community Plots

Calling all gardeners! Interested in caring for a plot in the community beds at the Rock Creek Campus Learning Garden? Sign-up info coming soon.

Panther Pantries

We know that keeping students fed is imperative to equitable student success, that diverting food waste lowers PCC’s carbon impact, and that projects like the Learning Garden and Food Forests build community resilience to the impacts of Climate Change.

Panther Pantries are on all four comprehensive campuses and provide food for students in need: Cascade (Cascade Hall, Room 102); Rock Creek (Building 5, Room 113); Southeast (Mt. Tabor Building, Room 152); and Sylvania (CC Building, Room 215).

Visit the food pantry website for current schedule updates.

Staff

Cascade and Southeast Learning Garden
Hailey Swain – Learning Garden CoordinatorPhoto of Hailey Swain Learning Garden Coordinator

Hailey has been working in urban school gardens across the city since graduating high school in 2019. They’re passionate about showing people how to grow fresh food within the city to promote sustainability,  accessibility, and community. Contact Hailey at  hailey.swain@pcc.edu

Newberg Center Learning Garden

Stephanie Romero

Rock Creek Learning Garden
Moonrose Doherty (They/Them, Elle) – Rock Creek Garden CoordinatorPhoto of Moonrose the Rock Creek Garden Coordinator

Moonrose loves being part of community change, the tending of plants, and the sharing of knowledge. As the Rock Creek Learning Garden Coordinator they focus on providing students access to free, healthy food from the garden through donations to the Rock Creek Panther Pantry, programming around Food Insecurity and increasing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) access through the Rock Creek Learning Garden Farm Stand. Moonrose grew up food insecure and knows the barriers and stigmas. They are passionate about students positively accessing free food and all things food justice related. Prior to this position Moonrose managed the PCC Newberg Center Learning Garden with a focus on community-building and food liberation through hands-on education and knowledge-sharing. They also taught PCC Community Ed classes on Companion Planting, Organic Gardening and Native Plant Garden Design. Moonrose is also a small-scale, urban farmer and medicine-maker in their free time. Recently, they furthered their medicine craft and learned tinctures, oxymels and salves. Moonrose feels safest, wildest, and most grounded when in community with plants and sharing knowledge with people. They enjoy rollerskating, dance, backpacking and dreaming. Find them in the garden and come say Hi. Contact Moonrose at moonrose.doherty@pcc.edu.

Sylvania Environmental Center and Learning Garden
Peter Ritson

Bio and photo, email

Steve…

Cascade

Urban garden dedicated to growing food free for students and providing garden-related learning opportunities. Located between Jackson Hall and Margaret Carter Technology Education Building.

Newberg

A beautiful community space and active learning lab

Located:

Rock Creek

Our largest garden, Rock Creek has over three acres of hands-on education and growth opportunities. Located south of building 9.

Southeast

Space dedicated to urban agriculture and community engagement. Located on the west edge of campus next to Administrative Hall.

Sylvania

Cooperative campus space dedicated to organic gardening. Located on the northwest edge of campus next to parking lot…