dry riverbed | What's not to like?

I mentioned that an Eagle Scout candidate recently broke ground on a project in our garden. I am pleased to report that it is finished, and it is wonderful.

Think about everything this one young man had to do to complete this project:

…write a proposal, fundraise, recruit a work team, communicate with the garden club, build and stain a bridge, source materials, compare prices, learn a bit of carpentry, study riverbed design, locate and transport local river stone, examine drainage issues, cut the path, move a lot of dirt, install footings, project manage, and put it all together! As a result, our school garden is that much more beautiful and well-designed for his efforts. Thank you Sawyer, Troop 690 and all of the adult volunteers!

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Big tip: the Boy Scouts of America are an amazing resource for school gardens. The ultimate goal of any Boy Scout is to achieve the rank of “Eagle Scout,” which requires many things and culminates in a big project. And what do all school gardens have in common? BIG PROJECTS! Making an addition to the garden, the scouts have the opportunity to leave a legacy at the elementary school they attended. Thus far we have been the lucky recipients of two projects.

A “doorway” at the side entrance of the garden:

A small orchard of five fruit trees: apricot, cherry, nectarine, peach and plum. (By the way, kids love the fact that the trees were purposely planted in alphabetical order!)

And now a third young man is getting ready to begin the construction phase of his project: to build a dry riverbed in order to direct rain runoff and beautify the north side of the garden. I should be able to post on the finished project soon. Here’s the “before,” as he’s raking away woodchips to mark out the riverbed’s footprint: