MONTHLY VOLUNTEER DAY!

On the 4th Saturday of every month, the Americana Community Center holds a special Volunteer day from 10 am to 2 pm. Throughout every month, the Americana Community Garden receives many volunteers. (Thus far this year, we've had the luck of receiving over 7000 hours of community service in our garden and on our campus.) We hold the monthly volunteer day so that volunteers can get to know one another and possibly get to know some of our gardeners.

Elliot Sternberg and Josh Drake put in order all them corn stalks  and turn the compost

This past Saturday, we were joined by Elliot Sternberg, Josh Drake, Rebecca Katz, Colleen Stewart, Caitlin Brown, Emily Benken, Zach and Elijah McKenzi.

We picked up trash, mulched garden pathways, turned the compost, tilled, planted, and mulched cover crop seed donated to us by Fresh Start Growers Supply. We plant a winter cover crop so that the cold winter won't harden the soil, and whatever crops grow in the winter will be chopped and incorporated into the soil during the spring adding a great many nutrients.

(Read more about the uses of cover crop here and here)

Caitlin Brown and Emily Benken weed our mulched paths

Colleen Stewart, her first time on a tiller

The author, proud of this new machine

Sowing the cover crop seed
For cover crop we use a mix of winter wheat, vetch, and red clover

Thanks to our volunteers!

Our Next Volunteer Day will be on OCTOBER 27th from 10 am to 2 pm and will coincide with a Brightside Service Day at the Americana! Do Come!