Earth Day at Lonely Worm Farm
Save the date! On Earth Day, April 22 from 2-6 pm, you are invited to a work day/community potluck at Lonely Worm Farm. What is the job? Please give me a moment to explain...
Over the past year or so, groups from various day-hab programs for adults with disabilities have been coming to visit and volunteer. We love having them as they are appreciative, helpful and good at teaching us how to make the farm more inclusive.
Due to Felix’s situation, I had been thinking of accessibility mainly in terms of making Lonely Worm Farm amenable to his sensitive and balky wheelchair. Practically the first thing we did upon moving was create a wheelchair accessible path that loops around the southern field. But our day hab guests showed me that this path is not welcoming for everybody. People who don’t use wheelchairs or walkers may still need help with their balance. Some of our guests couldn’t walk down to the picnic area by the oak tree unless they were ushered by an aide. A thoughtful day hab worker recommended we install a handrail. And perhaps some raised beds directly bordering the path.
These were good ideas, but installing a handrail presented a challenge. Our field is so rocky that standard post hole diggers do not work. When we put in the deer fence, we had to hire a guy with an 82 horsepower Kubota tractor, upon which was mounted a 16’ tall post pounder endowed with a mega hammer and a rock spike that drove through stones to make a pilot hole for the posts–and still he found patches that could not be drilled through. I liked this guy and his rock spike very much, but having him install that handrail would cost a pretty penny, compact the soil and tear up some of our plantings.
Eventually we came up with a plan. We would forgo the posts and instead make sturdy, waist high planting boxes that could serve in their stead. Here is the first one: Jess and I made it last week. We will make twenty one more, and Mark and his team will connect them to the handrail.
Twenty two planting boxes means twenty two mini gardens! The hope is that our volunteers will take responsibility for some of them, planning, cultivating and harvesting their own little patch of Lonely Worm Farm. Where do you come into all of this? Maybe you or someone you know wants to adopt a mini garden? Also, we will need wheel barrowers, shovelers and pail flingers to fill all these boxes up and planters to sow the first seeds. Come on, you know you want to flex those muscles.
I will send out a couple more notices before the event. For now, just putting this on your radar as we would love to have a big, dirty, sweaty crowd of friends helping us celebrate Earth Day.
