Giving Garden Preparing for Next Year's Growing Season

The Giving Garden at Wagner Farms Arboretum is getting ready to close this year's work, and prepare the garden beds for next year's crops benefitting local families in need.

This year, a total of 8,370 lbs. of fresh-grown food was delivered to local food banks and soup kitchens from the Giving Garden, according to coordinator Ernest Cottrill.

There are several projects underway this week you can help with—contact Cottrill at 908-962-0627 or by email to elcottrill@optonline.net if you can lend a hand with:

• Compost Application: Two or three people needed to help transfer compost from a utility trailer to garden beds at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday. It's expected to take about an hour.
• Equipment Transfer: Equipment from the garden area needs to be moved onto a trailer, then unloaded at the tractor shed behind the WFA office area for winter storage. Call or email to schedule atime—the more hands, the better.   
• Horse Manure: Manure has been applied to about one-third of the Giving Garden plots, and applications will continue until the supply is exhausted. Volunteers can schedule a time, or show up and work on their own; Sections A, B and C plots marked with both blue and yellow flags are ready for manure application. Just transfer approximately three wheelbarrows to each compartment in plots showing those flags and rake to spread evenly.  When finished with a plot, remove both flags and place in the box on floor in shed.