| 🌳Orchard Update!🍎 Thanks to our resident arborist, Sarah, the appropriate trees in our orchard have been pruned for the upcoming year (this is in direct contrast to how the redevelopment of the Bethel church is proceeding — at least 3 three heritage trees have already been knocked down: more info here and here). There will be opportunities in the future to help with mulching and weeding, so stay tuned! 🌼Mark your calendars: countdown to re-opening of garden!☀️The garden recently received financial support to continue and expand our community supported agriculture (CSA) initiative for public housing residents, and to fund our 9th annual spring kick-off event! All thanks to SW Gardens President, Pam! A few weeks ago, Pam presented the garden’s CSA idea to attendees of the 2022 Pocket Change event (you can watch the pitch, or browse through the presentation). Out of the 5 presentations, the CSA idea received the most votes, so we will be receiving $1,160 to implement it. The funds will allow us to hire 3 young farmhands to plant, harvest, and deliver fresh fruits, vegetables, flowers, and other garden-based products to 10 families living in public housing throughout the year. The money will also fund 3 cooking demonstrations. Of course, we’ll need your help with the weekly activities in the garden to ensure the success of the project. The garden also received a little over $3,000 from the SW Community Foundation to purchase soil, tools, food, and fund the construction and painting of a new mural for our 9th annual spring kick-off. Now, we’re all set, and you can mark your calendars! April 9th, at 11am. We will be turning over all the cover crops in the garden. We do this two weeks before the kick-off to allow the crops to fully decompose, adding more nitrogen to the soil, before we do our spring planting. April 23rd, 11am-3pm. The spring kick-off! We will be planting the communal beds, painting a new mural, and doing various other garden tasks as the garden officially opens for the year. |
SW Gardens 