On July 19th, HIA staff and community members built raised garden beds to take home! We were able to construct a total of 21 beds, which we distributed to those who participated in the class, as well as to Elders who requested a bed. This week, we hope to distribute soil — and once we harvest our Tlingit potatoes in early fall, we will distribute seed potatoes for planting next spring. For more information on how to sow and grow Tlingit potatoes, check out our previous community garden blog post! Thank you to everyone who showed up and helped out! For those with a raised bed, we’d love to hear about and see how you ended up using them!
Members of the community building their own raised beds, as well as building extras for Elders who were unable to attend!
Paris Donohue, a community member who attended the class and moved to Hoonah in June, barely missed this year’s growing season. She mentioned that developing her own garden is one of her top priorities and that HIA: Environmental has provided a great opportunity for a head start on her garden for next year.
Some benefits of raised beds include improved drainage (perfect for Hoonah!), easier maintenance (less bending), reduced weeding, and enhanced soil quality. We recommend using a liner with drainage capabilities to further reduce the spread of weeds. Raised beds can also contain aggressive plants, such as mint, kale, and oregano, preventing them from overtaking your yard.
This class would not have been possible without the financial support of the Ecotrust Fund! Join us for our next class on August 2nd at 10 AM to learn about hydroponics and how to build a simple NFT system!
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