Student gardeners are donating crops from their own plots to the Baton Rouge Society of St. Vincent de Paul, an organization giving aid to the community’s needy.Carl Motsenbocker, horticulture professor in the School of Plant, Environmental and Soil Sciences, is teaching two horticulture classes in the service-learning project. Marguerite Green, horticulture junior and teaching assistant for Motsenbocker’s organic gardening class, said a six-person vegetable crops class and a 30-person organic gardening class organized the project.”Each student gets a 6-by-12 plot [on campus],” Green said. “The students do everything from planting to harvesting.”The students grow mustard and collard greens, beans, squash, potatoes, radishes and other vegetables for the St. Vincent de Paul dining room in downtown Baton Rouge, Green said.The first large harvest was last week, and the class will be bringing the fresh product to St. Vincent de Paul on a weekly basis, Motsenbocker said.In addition to the St. Vincent de Paul service project, the class is starting a community garden at McKinley High School and landscaping houses for Habitat for Humanity.The organic gardening class is the only horticulture class made up mostly of non-majors, Green said.Cynthia Baker, psychology junior, said she enjoys learning about planting and harvesting by having her own plot.”I didn’t know anything coming into it,” Baker said. “It’s a really good class — it’s really interesting and definitely important.”Christine Pyle, English and French junior, is also a first-time gardener.”I’m a complete beginner to gardening,” Pyle said. “It’s a fun class, and I love seeing the things that I planted becoming something people can use.”Matt Mellott, horticulture junior, said he likes the class more than his other horticulture classes because it involves a lot of people who aren’t horticulture majors.”It’s a great experience.” Mellott said. “Everybody seems very motivated and interested in the class.”—-Contact Ben Bourgeois at [email protected]