Thank You Class of 2019, for the attractive labels seen in these photos! If you have not taken time to stroll through the community gardens recently, get a glimpse of the growth that has emerged by viewing dated photos of a single bed.
Check out what is happening in other raised beds also. It looks like our plan for a healthy harvest for the Western Mass Food Bank is right on track!
This student perspective was written by Ryan Dwyer ’19
I had a great time planting the garden at Williston. A lot of preparation was needed. First, a group of around four students planned what they wanted to grow and what vitamins and benefits it had. 
Before planting, we weeded the garden boxes and added fresh compost made at Williston. On the day of planting, we gathered the seeds and executed our plan. Continue reading
Thanks to the hands and hearts of many, the Williston Community Garden has been planted for the 7th consecutive spring. We have high hopes for a healthy harvest to help the hungry. Both the Sustainable Life Club and the class of 2019 planted fall crops that are “good keepers”, a request of the Western Mass Food Bank who will be the recipients of this year’s harvest.
The garden gets rebuilt!
After six years of producing crops in both the spring and fall seasons, the boxes surrounding the raised beds behind John Wright Dorm were becoming part of the soil. With the help of student Ben Chmielewski through the Work for Williston program, new boxes were built in time for this spring’s planting.
Students in the class of 2019 added compost to the soil in each of the beds and then planted seeds and seedlings in hopes of growing a healthy harvest to help the hungry served by the Western Mass Food Bank. We look forward to sharing a variety of nutrient-rich potatoes, winter squashes, carrots, and Brussels sprouts.
There are some exciting things we have coming up on Williston Earth Day, which is this Thursday. Tuesday was the true Earth day, but because we don’t have classes that day we decided to make Williston Earth Day this Thursday. On Thursday at 2:45 we plan to open up the garden for the first time this spring and anyone can come and help out. Also on Thursday the school store will be offering a discount on re-usable items like water bottles, re-usable shopping bags, and re-usable mugs. This Sunday Mr. Lorenzatti will take students on a hike up Mt. Tom.
These activities will encourage people to appreciate the environment that we live in. The water bottles and re-usable items will encourage the use of more re-usable items and mindfulness of the waste we create. The hike will show people ways that we can enjoy the world we live in. All of these activities will educate people about the ways that we as a community and as individuals can make a difference. Our goal for Earth Day is to create good sustainable habits and teach people how to give back to the Earth.
