Some Updates
It’s not quite spring yet, though some of these seventy and eighty degree days definitely could have fooled us. We definitely have made good use of both the chilly and warmer days here in the garden. Even though the growing season isn’t productive, we most certainly have been! Between volunteer workdays, our annual brunch, and the start of our new spring interns, we definitely have a lot to catch everyone up on!
Welcome Back Brunch
We had to rename our annual brunch (formerly the “Stonehouse Brunch”) because our cohort of volunteer gardens has outgrown the Stonehouse. Not a bad problem to have! The newly named “Welcome Back Brunch” was hosted in the Meeting Barn, and had around thirty attendees and an amazingly delicious spread of food. We knew our volunteers were talented gardeners, but they also blew us away with their cooking and baking skills. Students brought casseroles, cupcakes, sweet potato biscuits, carrot cakes (featuring Morven carrots), fruit salads and galore. It’s safe to say: not one empty belly left the brunch.
Thanks to all our volunteers for the food and the good times. Since workdays happen at different times, it was great to get everyone who is involved in the garden together in the same room! We recapped our recent successes and voted on which crops to grow this season. We have a great plan, and can’t wait to get started!
Sustainability Work Day
On January 26, the office of sustainability kicked off our first workday of the year! Thirteen staff joined us, for a fun and productive day!Activities included:
- Seeding greenhouse trays of chard, kale, and lettuce for planting out later this spring.
- Building wooden dripline winders for storing our irrigation line
- Moving and storing row cover and rock bags from the fall plantings.
Building the dripline winders ^
The winders in action! ^
Seeding trays ^
We loved the enthusiasm all of the Office if Sustainability staff brought to the garden! It was definitely very well appreciated, our inters have already made very good use of the dripline winders! Thanks again for all your help!That same day MKG Exec students promoted MKG at the winter activities fair in Newcomb.
Our Interns
Last but certainly not least, we’d like to introduce you to our two spring semester interns. This is the first time MKG will be having semester interns. And they are both very excited to be joining the team. Caroline (this post’s author) and Isabel are both third-year Global Sustainability majors with strong interests in food sustainability. About a month in, we’ve already gotten their hands dirty seeding, laying drip line, washing carrots, and much more. We’ve also helped out with some crop planning. We’re so excited about all we’ve accomplished so far, and can’t wait for what’s to come!
Caroline (right) and Isabel (left) after seeding the hoophouse!