Garden Workshop to take place at East End Park

The Capitol Conservation District and Charleston City Councilwoman Keeley Steele will host a Garden Workshop on Saturday October 26 at 9:30 a.m. at the community garden location on Nancy Street attached to the East End Community Park. This workshop is the result of a collaboration between the City of Charleston, Capitol Conservation District and the West Virginia Conservation Agency. It will focus on raised bed construction, with hands on demonstrations, as well as fall planting and layout.

This summer, the City of Charleston, Capitol Conservation District and West Virginia Conservation Agency began a joint project to create more community garden areas within the city. After touring many sites on the East End and West Side with Councilwoman Steele, the district chose an abandoned lot connected to the East End Community Park, which lies just across from Laidley Field.

Construction began this summer and is scheduled to be completed by summer 2020. This community garden will provide a space to expand urban agriculture within the city and allow community members to grow food and learn about crops and soil health. The Capitol Conservation District will utilize the space for educational seminars and classes related to urban food production, pollinator habitats and fruit tree care.

In August, Terry Hudson, Chairman of the Capitol Conservation District, worked with students from Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia to construct the first set of raised beds for the community garden. The students also filled the beds with compost provided by the City of Charleston. By using raised beds instead of traditional ground planting, the community garden reduces soil runoff and nutrient loss caused by excessive rainfall. The garden uses an innovative infiltration walkway, that will hold excess rainfall and allow it to enter the ground naturally, as opposed to letting stormwater run on the surface. Surface stormwater can not only cause soil loss but can also transport pollutants into our waterways.

Even though construction will continue into 2020, the District will be ready for spring planting with an announcement coming early next year on applying for a space and classes to assist residents on planning their garden and care for their crops.

For more information about the Garden Workshop or to get information about reserving a raised bed at the East End location, please contact the Capitol Conservation District at (304) 759-0736.