While we wait for the ground to dry out enough to till in our compost, we are lucky enough to have a team of volunteers from J.A.S. Design Build creating our community space. J.A.S. is generously donating both labor and materials to this project! Every Saturday in April they are coming in to transform the empty space we have now into a Community Space.

This space is one of the key elements of the design that the community chose at a meeting in February of 2010. There will be three long tables, each with a different purpose. One will include two sinks for washing produce. One has a barbecue for community events and celebrations. And the last one will be used for our children’s programs. We expect this one to become a craft table, experiment base, and all sorts of other uses that the kids will imagine.

The creation of the tables is quite a process. First we leveled out the land so the tables will be flat.

Next the J.A.S. team assembled and put up gabions that will form the base of the tables.

Then they filled the gabions with large rocks. The volunteers carted each and every rock from a pile to the gabions by wheelbarrow – hard work!

Finally they closed up the gabions on three sides – a tricky job done by twisting a spiral wire through two sides of the wire cage.

Next week they will fill in the top of the gabions with smaller rocks to level out the surface and begin pouring concrete to solidify the structure. Finally, the table tops will be added and then we get to start using our Community Space!

Our farm is taking shape little by little, and we could not have gotten where we are without the generous support of local organizations and businesses like J.A.S. Thanks for your hard work!

We’re getting our compost and manure at the end of April, so stay tuned for updates from the beginning of our growing season!