As the summer comes to a close, the Emerald Keepers wanted to make sure the two school gardens were in top shape for the start of a new semester. Emerald Keepers and the Coronado Public Library invited the community to join them on August 19 in sprucing up their gardens. In total, forty volunteers showed up to help.
Volunteers met at Coronado Middle School (CMS) at 8:30 am and made their way to the garden. First up was weeding (ultimately filling ten trashcans) and cleaning the four large planters. Afterwards, volunteers helped plant new flowers and vegetables while others composted. This upcoming school year will be the first full year the CMS garden is back in use so getting the garden in order was essential.
Across the street at the Coronado High School (CHS) garden, volunteers arrived at 8 am to assist in staining the planter boxes. This staining now gives the boxes a fresh look after fading from rain and sun exposure.
At 11:30, volunteers at CMS who wanted to keep going went over to CHS to tend to their garden. The duties were split like they were at the middle school. Some volunteers turned the compost, while others were more invested in the planting and weeding process.
The high school garden had frequent tending over the summer with the new Emerald Keepers Club officers in charge. Abbie Pearson, new co-president, says, “I’m most excited to welcome new faces to our garden community. I’m also excited to continue doing my part by working in the garden, composting, and donating our harvests to those who lack food security.”
Holding this event was a way to immerse the community with sustainable gardening techniques and grow their plant knowledge. “These tasks seem daunting for a few people, so this is a good way for the community to come together and leave their mark in a positive way. Not to mention, Emerald Keepers is a community oriented organization that has far reaching connections. The ‘spruce up day’ is a nice way to reunite everyone and catch up on all progress that has been made and new goals for the school year,” says Pearson. Students can volunteer at the gardens during the school year at their bi-monthly Saturday meetings.
With both student and community effort, the hard work paid off and the two gardens are cleaned and green and ready for the school year.
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