Update re South Side of Urban Farm

Thanks to the grant from the Marion Soil & Water Conservation District, we are in the middle of upgrading the southern side of the farm where the old raised beds were rotting away and were not ideal for ongoing planting. We had dozens of neighbors volunteer over the last couple months to help take down the old beds, prepare the area, and install the new stock tanks that will serve as accessible and long-lasting raised garden beds for the Sustainable Living Center and community members to use in the future.

In July and August, we'll be installing the rest of the irrigation to the beds, adding pavers to the gravel pathway along the glass house, and transplanting veggies like kale, broccoli, and cabbage into the raised beds, which we'll harvest for the community in the fall.

In September, we'll be cleaning up the large piles of sod and debris and smoothing out the area so that the pathway can be continued around to the patio and past the shed.

Finally, we'll complete the grant project in late fall by planting a pollinator-friendly hedgerow of herbs and shrubs along the sidewalk. If you'd like to learn more about pollinator-friendly hedgerows, check out this very detailed guide we'll be following from the Xerces Society! The Xerces Society is an international nonprofit organization that protects the natural world through the conservation of invertebrates and their habitats. https://xerces.org/publications/habitat-installation-guides/western-oregon-washington-hedgerow-planting-422-for