Sprout and About: Get out the Mud Boots!

Although thoughts of summer usually accompany an image of a sun shining bright, the first day of summer programming at Laraway instead featured a flash flood warning. The afternoon alert didn’t stop students and staff from kicking off Farmer on Site though! Each week the Farmer on Site program will feature a different activity for the student groups, all focused around land stewardship and outdoor education. While some mornings are beautiful, the first day decided to test the spirits of the outdoor adventurers.

Rain coats were donned and some hands got muddy as students gathered to check out the garden, pull out some tenacious weeds from the squash bed, and add mulch to the newly planted plum and black locust rows. In a show of efficiency, the group had a system of wheelbarrow rotation that even Henry Ford would be proud of.  As handful by handful of mulch was placed around the base of the trees, the sprinkles continued. The garden (and weeds) have especially enjoyed the very rainy past month we’ve had here, and the Living Willow structure is delighted enough to start showing some leaf buds! 

While the weather decided not to cooperate in the most conventional of ways, the beauty of the rain reflects in Laraway’s garden and freshly mulched young trees.

Submitted by Hannah Bober, VYDC AmeriCorps State member

*Sprout and About is a summertime segment in addition to Laraway Happenings focusing on the goings-on of campus throughout the season.