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.
If you are around campus this summer, we hope you will stop by the garden beds to see how our potatoes, onions, squash, brussel sprouts and carrots grow. Once the seedlings are 5-10 cm tall, we will mulch the plants in an effort to retain moisture and to keep the weeds to a minimum. Regardless, the beds will need some TLC over the next 3 months while the students are off campus.
If you would find pleasure in tending a bed in support of the students’ goals of an abundant harvest, keep reading!
You are invited to adopt a bed for the summer months. There are 4 raised rows behind the chapel and 6 boxed raised beds on the other side of the parking lot toward Brewster Ave. It can take less than 30 minutes each week to keep one bed watered and free of weeds and insect pests. Most of us will be away on vacation for a week or two at a time. Not a problem. Let me or another community gardener know and we will tend your plot while you are away. Interested but unsure of what or how to do it? I would be happy to orient you to the specifics of our garden area.
If you are interested in supporting the garden in this way, please let me know and we can agree on which bed will be under your care. Families are welcome with the understanding that children (younger than grade 7) work in the garden only with a supervising adult. By adopting a bed, there could be times when community members will enjoy working in the garden together!
Thanks for considering joining in this adventure to cultivate community through cultivating a healthy harvest.
If you are not able to visit the garden periodically this summer, watch for more blog posts and a photo journal of the dynamic growth that occurs.
Wishing you a summer of refreshment and growth!