April Workday
Thursday, May 10, 2012 at 12:16PM Come one, come all to the wonderful world without cars, pavement, or stop lights: 24th Elementary School Garden. Within our gates we offer a safe place for bugs, hugs… sorry but no slugs. Once a month the gates open to the community in efforts to help friendships blossom, the garden thrive, and the love for our environment grow. If you missed us on April 21st for our monthly workday, no worries, I’ll catch you up to speed now.
In the early morning sun students, parents, community members, and volunteer groups eagerly made their way to the garden with shovels in hand. There is magic in people gathering from all areas of Los Angeles to work in a common mission: to help keep the garden beautiful and thriving for the kids at 24th Street Elementary. Throughout the day there was sweat, weed pulling, and probably little backaches, but never did the energy falter.
One group worked fiercely to save the artichoke plants from being consumed by sweet pea plants, another group gave the wheelbarrows physical therapy, a group of students helped clean up the strawberries, and yet another group built muscle mulching the garden’s miniature orchard. Overall it was a very successful day in the garden!
All of the day’s hard work was rewarded with a giant feast of the garden’s harvested carrots and strawberries, banana bread, fresh lemonade, hummus dips, and homemade Tamales! Everyone gathered to share their accomplishments, to learn from each other, and even share stories of their lives. The garden has a wonderful skill at bringing community together and slowing time down enough for us to smell the roses. Everyone left feeling a bit more connected to the garden, to Los Angeles and the people in it. A big THANK YOU to all the people who joined us for our April Workday!
Recipe for a Successful Garden Workday:
Time Needed: However much you can give.
Serving Size: Abundant!
Ingredients: Healthy soil, seeds, water, sun, wheelbarrows, hand tools, muscles, a positive attitude, and helping hands.
Directions: Plant the seeds of today for the fruits of tomorrow. Then, add soil, water, and sun. Next, care for the seed, pull out invasive weeds, and reach out to companion plants. Finally, celebrate and repeat for the next generation of gardens!
