A photographic journal celebrating the progress made in Fall 2012 at the joint Springhill Lake Garden Outdoor Classroom and Greenbelt Food Forest sites.
2. Planting Service Days
Saturday, Saturday,
October 20 November 10
National Public Lands Day
Saturday, September 29
3. The GFF is an experiment in designing and planting
native edible trees, shrubs, vines, ground cover, and fungi…
…to use as a demonstration and
educational site to increase
biodiversity in forest systems
and in our communities.
4. Phase II of the Greenbelt Food Forest
Project was all about TAKING ACTION.
University of Maryland Integrated Life Science students filling our 14 garden
boxes with compost – over 250 square feet of growing space for 2013 crops!
5. The City of Greenbelt Public Works and CHEARS received grants from the
Chesapeake Bay Trust to increase the tree canopy in Greenbelt.
Mulching to prepare for Spring with cardboard and wood chips.
“Many hands make light work!”
6. 18 students served 10 hours of service as part of a University of Maryland
course they took through the Integrated Life Sciences (ILS) program.
7. Before planting trees and berry shrubs in the Greenbelt
Food Forest, a soil test was done by A&E labs to assess
the need for amendments to the area.
8. Fall is also a good time to transplant
smaller trees such as this “Chicago” fig.
Filling up boxes and spreading compost
9. CHEARS key volunteers visited Adkins Arboretum to buy
native rain garden plants for Phase I of the project…
…and purchased native trees and shrubs from
Slyvan Native Nursery for Phase II.
10. Part of learning the importance of trees is understanding
the beneficial impacts trees have on water systems.
Here, UMD ILS service learning students are exposed to the basics of water quality
monitoring, looking at turbidity, dissolved oxygen, pH, temperature, and
observation of the environment around Indian Creek.
11. Aside from monitoring the water quality, students
pulled out garbage in and around the Indian Creek.
12. Our generation, like every other
generation before us, has the
responsibility of stewardship to
Earth. In order to sustain the
planet for future generations,
people need to take their
resources into their own
hands, and do as much as they
can to reduce corporate holdings
on their food and water supplies.
~ Luke, UMD ILS
13. Kristen Wharton, 2012-2013
Volunteer Maryland Coordinator with
CHEARS and Greenbelt Public Works,
created an interactive design for the
planting service days.
14. Lance and Lindy, residents of
Franklin Park Apartments plant
a service berry bush.
15. Kim shows ILS student, Chris, the proper
depth for planting a cranberry bush.
16. Getting ready to plant an
American Persimmon, a native
fruiting tree in the Mid-Atlantic
17. Lesley Riddle, Assistant Director of Greenbelt
Public Works, identifies a June Beetle for us,
Phyllophaga Coleoptera Scaraeidae.
19. Once planted, about 2 inches of wood mulch
is laid around the trees and shrubs to prevent
grass from growing over the base.
20. To protect new tree saplings, we guard them
from predators with mesh tree shelters.
21. Planting high-bush blueberry shrubs requires acidic soil conditions…
…so we used a handful of soil sulfur
and mulched with pine straw to
give them a good start.
22. Cardboard is a good mulch
material because it helps to keep
unwanted grasses from taking
over the garden space.
Before laying down the cardboard, plastic tape
was peeled off since it’s not biodegradable.
23. Since cardboard is an available and biodegradable waste
product, it has been used every year in the gardens to
keep the grasses from growing on the pathways.
24. We also used it inside the 4x4 boxes
before filling them up with compost.
25. Lesley Riddle and Mayor Judith Davis
joined us during the service days.
With permission from the Greenbelt City Council and
support from the Department of Public Works, CHEARS
facilitates the GFF project and Three Sisters Demonstration
Gardens on city property with the community.
26. Once the beds were winterized, they
were ready for us to plant hard-necked
garlic cloves, “Gary’s Amish Red.”
27. When we try to solve problems without
education, ignorance prevents us from
understanding one other, which in turn
creates conflict. This will not only delay
the creation of a solution but cause even
more problems if the conflict becomes
fierce enough. ~ Patrick, UMD ILS
29. The cardinal directions are painted on four barrels
at the Springhill Lake Garden Outdoor Classroom to
help locate North, South, East, and West.
We use these identifiers to guide our
site assessment and planting schedule.
30. We dug a mote for the berries, creating a quarter-circle
perimeter to give the garden a circular shape…
…and more raspberries to eat in the Spring!
31. The students and community
volunteers planted 3 American
Persimmon trees, 6 high-bush
blueberries, 6 service berries, and
6 American High-Bush Cranbrries.
32. Joe Murray of Ancestral Knowledge showed us some
backyard edibles that can be found right here in Greenbelt.
33.
34. We played games to learn how
even the smallest of our actions
affect the natural environment…
…even hearing how much
sound we make with our
ears plugged.
35. In this game, students attempt to make no noise
so that they can retrieve their blindfolds.
36.
37. Without the sense of sight, we learned to rely on sound,
intuition and feeling to identify each other by moving slowly...
…without rustling too many leaves!
39. At the CHEARS restoration site we planted trees as well as other plants to help beautify the
park and provide a positive environmental impact. By reducing pollution and providing a
nicer place for the citizen’s of Greenbelt to live we helped make a positive impact on the
community. We made the city of Greenbelt more environmentally friendly and provided a
beautiful place for the citizens of Greenbelt to spend free time. ~ Matthew, UMD ILS
40. As our plants grow, they will increase the
urban tree canopy in Greenbelt and help to
reduce stormwater runoff into Indian Creek.
They will also provide nutrients to humans and wildlife, and become
self-fertilizing for seeding more trees and shrubs.
41. Together with Public Works, University of Maryland, and the community,
CHEARS has been able to lay the foundation for the Greenbelt Food Forest.
42. The most critical issue of our generation, therefore, is to restore the health of our community,
and our environment. With CHEARS, we’ve already taken the first steps. By working on local
projects, CHEARS is targeting the health of both nature and community, and bringing the
goals of environmental health restoration to a local level, thus bringing together the
community as well. ~ Meghna, UMD ILS
43. Thanks to all of our partners and
volunteers - we couldn’t have
done it without you!
Keep up with our progress on our website:
www.greenbeltfoodforest.com
Are you interested in sharing your
personal passion in Bay-friendly
gardening practices?
Kristen will be collecting applications and
conducting interviews to guide new volunteers in
contributing to our outdoor classroom spaces.
Contact her at kristen@chears.org
A special thank you to our
friends and neighbors in Greenbelt!
Thank You!
Notes de l'éditeur
Picture background with textured caption(Intermediate)To reproduce the textured shape effects on this slide, do the following:On the Home tab, in the Slides group, click Layout, and then click Blank.Also on the Home tab, in the Drawing group, click Shapes, and then under Rectangles click Rectangle.On the slide, drag to draw a rectangle.Select the rectangle. Under DrawingTools, on the Format tab, in the Size group, enter 5” into the Height box and 4” into the Width box.Also on the Format tab, in the ShapeStyles group, click the FormatShape dialog box launcher. In the FormatShape dialog box, click Fill in the left pane, in the Fill pane, click Picture or texture fill, and then do the following:Click the button next to Textures and then click and then click Pink Tissue Paper (fourth row).In the Transparency box, enter 20%.Also in the FormatPicture dialog box, click LineColor in the left pane, and in the LineColor pane select Noline.Also in the FormatPicture dialog box, click PictureColor in the left pane, and in the PictureColor pane, under Recolor, click the button next to Presets, and then click Orange, Accent color 6 Dark (second row).Also in the FormatPicture dialog box, click Glow and Soft Edges in the left pane, and then in the Glow and Soft Edges pane, do the following:Under Glow, click the button next to Presets, and then click No Glow.Under SoftEdges, in the Size box enter 5 pt.On the Home tab, in the Drawing group, click Shapes, and then under Rectangles click Rectangle.On the slide, drag to draw a rectangle.Select the second rectangle. Under DrawingTools, on the Format tab, in the ShapeStyles group, click ShapeFill, point to Gradient, and click MoreGradients. In the FormatShape dialog box, click Fill in the left pane, in the Fill pane, select Gradient fill, and then do the following:In the Type list, select Linear.In the Angle box, enter 90°.Under Gradient stops, click Add gradient stops or Remove gradient stops until two stops appear in the slider.Also under Gradientstops, customize the gradient stops as follows:Select the first stop in the slider, and then do the following:In the Position box, enter 0%.Click the button next to Color, and then under ThemeColors click Black, Text 1 (first row).In the Transparency box, enter 100%.Select the last stop in the slider, and then do the following:In the Position box, enter 100%.Click the button next to Color, and then under ThemeColors click Black, Text 1 (first row).In the Transparency box, enter 50%.Also in the FormatPicture dialog box, click Glow and Soft Edges in the left pane, and then in the Glow and Soft Edges pane, under SoftEdges, in the Size box enter 5 pt.Also in the FormatPicture dialog box, click Size in the left pane, in the Size pane, under Size and rotate, enter 5” into the Height box and 4” into the Width box.Press and hold CTRL, and then select both rectangles. On the Home tab, in the Drawing group, click Arrange, point to Align, and then do the following:Click AlignSelectedObjects.Click AlignCenter.Click AlignMiddle.To reproduce the clip art effects on this slide, do the following:On the Insert tab, in the Images group, click ClipArt. In the ClipArt pane, do the following:In the Search for box, enter 00322861.wmf.In the Results should be list, select All media file types.Select Include Office.com content.Click Go.Double-click the thumbnail of the clip art to insert it onto the slide.Select the clip art. Under PictureTools, on the Format tab, in the Size group, enter 0.56” into the Height box and 2” into the Width box.Also on the Format tab, in the Arrange group, click Group, and then click Ungroup to convert the clip art to a Microsoft Office drawing object.On the Home tab, in the Edit group, click Select, and then click Selection Pane. In the Selection and Visibility pane, select Autoshape and press DELETE.Select the ungrouped clip art. Under DrawingTools, on the Format tab, in the ShapeStyles group, click the FormatObject dialog box launcher. In the FormatShape dialog box, click Fill in the left pane, in the Fill pane click Solidfill, and then under FillColor, do the following:in the Color box, enter Black, Text 1.In the Transparency box, enter 80%.Position the ungrouped clip art over the bottom half of the transparent rectangle.Select the ungrouped clip art. On the Home tab, in the Clipboard group, click the arrow to the right of Copy, and then click Duplicate.Select the second ungrouped clip art. On the Home tab, in the Drawing group, click Arrange, point to Rotate, and then click MoreRotationOptions. In the FormatShape dialog box, click Size in the left pane, in the Size pane, under Size and rotate, in the Rotation box enter 180°.Position the second ungrouped clip art over the top half of the transparent rectangle.To reproduce the text effects on this slide, do the following:On the Insert tab, in the Text group, click TextBox.On the slide, drag to draw a text box.Enter text in the text box, and then select the text. On the Home tab, in the Font group, select Constantiafrom the Font list, select 36 pt. from the FontSize list, and then select White, Background 1 from the FontColor list.Also on the Home tab, in the Paragraph group, click Center.Press and hold CTRL, and then select the textured rectangle, the transparent rectangle, both ungrouped clip art, and the text box. On the Home tab, in the Drawing group, click Arrange, point to Align, and then do the following:Click AlignSelectedObjects.Click AlignCenter.Press and hold CTRL, and then select both rectangles and the text box. On the Home tab, in the Drawing group, click Arrange, point to Align, and then click AlignMiddle.To reproduce the picture background on this slide, do the following:On the Design tab, in the Background group, click BackgroundStyles, and then click FormatBackground.In the FormatBackground dialog box, click Fill in the left pane, in the Fill pane, click Picture or texture fill, and then under Insert from click File. In the Insert Picture dialog box, select a picture and then click Insert.
NOTE:For Phase II, we only had the Oct. & Nov. dates so delete the April & May datesIn Phase II, students from the University of Maryland planted trees and fall crops and prepped the gardens for Spring 2013. There were 18 students who served 10 hours of service as part of a course they took through the Integrated Life Sciences program.
The GFF is an experiment in designing and planting native edible trees, shrubs, vines, ground cover, and fungi to use as a demonstration and educational site to increase biodiversity in forest systems and in our communities.
Students filled twelve 4X4 garden boxes and two 8X4 boxes with compost equaling to 256 square ft of growing space for 2013 crops.
Another chore in preparing for the Spring is to mulch with cardboard and wood chips. “Many hands make light work!”
NOTE: I’ll send you the soil test via email in PDF form to add to this slide
Left photo: Filling up boxes and spreading compost Right photo: Fall is also a good time to transplant smaller trees such as the ‘Chicago’ fig.
CHEARS key volunteers visited Adkins Arboretum and bought native rain garden plants for Phase 1 of the project and purchased native trees and shrubs from Slyvan Native Nursery for Phase II.
Part of learning the importance of trees is understanding the beneficial impacts trees have on water systems. Students are exposed to the basics of water quality monitoring, looking at turbidity, dissolved oxygen, pH, temperature and observation of the environment around Indian Creek.
Aside from monitoring the water quality, students pulled out garbage in and around the Indian Creek.
Detangling herbs
NOTE: We need a photo of the overall design, which Kristen drew out for the work day. Ask her to take a picture and send to you to include so people can see the overall design.
- Lance and Lindy, residents of Franklin Park Apartments plant a Service Berry bush - Before planting trees and berry shrubs in the Greenbelt Food Forest, a soil test was done by A&E labs to assess the need for amendments.
Kim showing ILS student, Chris, the proper depth of the hole for a cranberry bush
Getting ready to plant an American Persimmon, a native fruiting tree in the Mid-Atlantic.
Lesley Riddle, Assistant Director of Greenbelt Public Works, identifies a ??? (ask Kristen to ask Lesley what this insect is…)
While working in the gardens, we found a hibernating frog…
Once planted, about 2 inches of wood mulch is laid around the trees and shrubs to prevent grass from growing over the base.
To protect new tree saplings, we guard them from predators with mesh tree shelters.
Planting high-bush blueberry shrubs require acidity, so we used a handful of soil sulfur and mulched with pine straw to give the blueberry plants a good start.
Cardboard as a mulch material helps to keep unwanted grasses from taking over the garden space. Before laying down the cardboard, plastic tape was peeled off since it’s not biodegradable.
Since cardboard is an available waste product and is biodegradable, it has been used every year in the gardens to keep the grasses from growing up on the pathways.
We also used it inside the 4x4 boxes before filling them up with compost.
Lesley Riddle and MayorJudith Davis joined us during the service days. The food forest project and gardens are located on city property, which CHEARS received permission from the Greenbelt City Council with support from the Department of Public Works.
Once the beds were filled, they were ready for planting hard-necked garlic cloves, “Gary’s Amish Red”.
NOTE: This student with the thumbs up I recall is Patrick-you may want to check with Kristen but he had an great attitude about both service days!When we try to solve problems without education, ignorance prevents us from understanding one other, which in turn creates conflict. This will not only delay the creation of a solution but cause even more problems if the conflict becomes fierce enough.
Transplanting raspberries…
The cardinal points are painted on the 4 barrels that each of the Three Sisters Demonstration Gardens has in common.
and creating a quarter-circle perimeter gives a nice circular shape to the garden and more raspberries to eat in the Spring.
This quote is used Patrick, is there another excerpt you can use here from a different student. SEE SLIDE 27
(Start of service day on 11/10) Joe Murray of Ancestral Knowledge shows us some backyard edibles
Learning how much sound we make in the natural environment even with our ears plugged
Students have to attempt to make no noise so that they can retrieve their blindfolds
Blindfold exercise
Without the sense of sight and relying on sound, intuition and feeling, students tried to identify each other by moving slowly without crunching too many leaves.
Learning to feel the Earth and to tread lightly on the planet.
(quote)
As the trees grow, they will increase the urban tree canopy, helping to reduce stormwater runoff into Indian Creek and the urban heat trap. They will also provide nutrients to humans, wildlife, and become self-fertilizing in seeding more trees and shrubs around them.
Together with PW & our UMD ILS students, CHEARS has been able to lay the foundation for the GFF this planting season.
The most critical issue of our generation, therefore, is to restore the health of our community, and our environment. With CHEARS, we’ve already taken the first steps. By working on local projects, CHEARS is targeting the health of both nature and community, and bringing the goals of environmental health restoration to a local level, thus bringing together the community as well.