Summer Lettuce Project at JGTF
Pembroke Hill Continues Their Volunteer Workdays at JGTF
For their Spring Volunteer Day, a mighty group of Pembroke Hill graduating seniors joined Cultivate KC at Juniper Gardens Training Farm for a day of hands-on community service. For several of the students, the experience was particularly meaningful, as the day marked a full circle moment for those who had volunteered at the home of the New Roots farm training program during their freshman year. Pembroke Hill has been bringing volunteers out for many years- the freshman class in the fall and the senior class in the spring. We were especially excited for them to come back for the final volunteer workday while at Pembroke Hill.
Although aspects of the farm have changed since their freshman year, there wasn’t a shortage of tasks for the seniors to tackle. The students split up into small groups, and worked on several projects around the farm, which included completing the Farm Share Packing Shed, weeding around the garden beds and the Diana Eisman Community Greenhouse, and clearing out the high tunnel beds to help prepare the soil for future planting.
Another important project was removing old bricks and rocks, which have gradually become unearthed around Juniper Gardens Training Farm. Although tedious, these items can be hard to see by staff and farmers during daily farming and can damage garden tools needed in the garden beds or mowing the grass, becoming hazardous and time consuming. By clearing out large rocks and bricks, the farm becomes safer for staff and farmers when using expensive tools.
By the end of the volunteer day, the Pembroke Hill students had made a visible impact on the farm through hard work and teamwork. We hope to see some of them back on the farm soon!
