A rockin' project!

All the stone and concrete rip-rap we've unearthed on-site will be used to build a dry stack fieldstone retaining wall between the main garden area and the upper terrace.

Keren and Don haul and sort rock by size in preparation for building the wall.

Viki cuts a trench at the base of the berm in preparation for the foundation.

 

Concrete rip-rap set in gravel is used as the foundation for the wall.

Keren and Heather building one of the final courses of rock and filling the voids with gravel. Notice the old blue jeans used as weed barrier on the berm.

Moving mountains...

The foreground shows a pile of city compost as we received it, littered with biodegradable plastic yard waste collection bags—in the background is a pile that has been hand sifted. It took 17 labor hours to hand sift one pile (one dump truck load) and we removed 10 garbage bags full of plastic pieces.

 

Our dedicated volunteers (from left: Susan, Noah, Viki, and Sarah) hand sifting the compost and piling it so it's ready for filling the raised garden beds.

Community Service

Finlandia University UNS100 students posing on top of a pile of compost that they helped sift as part of their community service project. Thanks to the FU crew and Leroy from the City for all your help.

Our garden team grows...

The tedious task of finish grading the site by hand was considerably more fun and faster with our three new volunteers and gardeners. Thanks Rachael, Ryan, and Anne!

Our first harvest!

Hancock resident, Angela Manchester, harvests choke cherries (from one of the existing trees on-site) to make jelly and cordial.

A little help...

A big thank you to the crew from the Department of Public Works who helped pull stumps, move rocks, even out the site...

...and deliver compost (decomposed leaves and yard trimmings collected by the City).

Curt Hahka, Director of Facilities for Finlandia University, helps remove biodegradable plastic collection bags from the compost pile. Thanks for all your help Curt we couldn't do it without you!

A sign for the garden

With so many people asking about the garden project we thought we should get some kind of sign up on the site. Thanks to Rick Loduha of Finlandia University International School of Art & Design for helping us rejuvenate this old Suomi College Nursing Center sign.

Starting site preparation...

Volunteers start the work of clearing the site and removing rocks and debris from the main garden area.

Branches and slash are laid on the ground along the slope contour and held in place by stakes. A strategy to retain moisture in the soil and prevent erosion of leaf litter and soil.

Hancock's 1st Community Garden!

The corner of Ryan Street & Road Street in May 2010 before the garden project started

Finlandia University and the City of Hancock are collaborating to create Hancock's first community garden—part of the "strategic and creative long-term exchange of resources" between the University and community. Finlandia will host the garden on campus, the City will provide soil and water, and the Ryan Street Community Garden members and volunteers will govern and maintain the site. The plan is to have the first phase of the garden operational for the 2011 growing season.