Service Learning: Bre Jarrell

Community Garden Work Party
Organizer:  marni.swart@email.edcc.edu 
Time: 2:30-4:30 Thursday, June 8th

This Thursday I had the opportunity to help in our colleges community farm during the Community Garden Work Party. I spent most of my two hours there weeding in various areas around the farm, but towards the end another student at the farm noticed the salmon berry bush nearby and asked if we could harvest some of them along with the other food being harvested that day. Above you can see me picking the ripe berries from the salmon berry bush. The photo was taken by Sahayra Barojas.

The person who organized the event told me how some of the food that was harvested from the garden went to organizations to help feed people who had trouble paying for food themselves. I thought that was possibly one of the best uses for the garden I'd ever heard. Beyond just what I was told about the farm, what was done on Thursday also helps marine ecosystems as well. Pulling the weeds will prevent their seeds from growing and eventually traveling to sprout in estuaries or marshes, where other plants need the available land to filter out toxins from the water. The compost that was being done across the farm by some of my classmates will help improve the soil quality around the area, meaning less toxins for those marshes and estuaries to filter out, and the wood chips that were being spread around the area will prevent weeds from blooming and eventually spreading into areas different plants will need. These are all a little roundabout, but at the same time, these efforts to improve the land on the farm could end up going a long way for the marine life down the line.

Even after getting to know so much while serving in the farm, I'm still left with a few questions:
What other effects did our hard work have on the land, area, and waters around the college?
How much of an effect did what I did on Thursday really have on the marine life?
Will the weeds pulled be kept out of the garden now, or will they begin growing back quickly?
How much can I do in my area to help protect the marine wildlife?

I'm so glad I took the time to help out at the farm. Not only did I get to help my community, but I also had so much fun. I'm looking forward to hearing about when I can help out again.