Apogee Adventures Workday at TSCG
By Julia St. Clair, BTLT Agricultural Programs Coordinator
In early August, BTLT was joined at the Tom Settlemire Community Garden by a group from the Apogee Adventures Maine Coast College Essay program. This group of about a dozen high school seniors and their trip leaders joined us for the second of two workdays this summer.
The students worked together clearing weeds from pathways throughout the garden and tending the peach trees in the garden’s orchard, while I rambled on about local food systems, insects in the gardens, and the different types of weeds. The volunteer group took a snack break, wandering through the labyrinth on one the nearby Crystal Spring Farm trails – a calm and peaceful spot right next to the community garden.
After removing weeds and mulching around the base of the peach trees, as well as clearing any rotten fruit, the volunteers had the opportunity to taste some ripe peaches, and for most it was their first time tasting peaches fresh from the tree! At the end of the workday, each student shared something that they learned that day, from the proper use of garden tools like the shuffle hoe and the life cycle of monarch butterflies.
We are excited to have offered a fun and educational experience and grateful for the dedication and energy that this group brought to help tend our beautiful community garden.
Thank you to this dedicated group, we wish them the best of luck as they complete their college essays and apply to their dream schools this coming fall!
