Gardening at Jamestown Audubon Center in NY

This summer, I’ve been volunteering three times a week at the Audubon Center here in Jamestown, NY. I come on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.

In addition to having hundreds of acres of land for hiking and birdwatching, the Audubon Center also has a wonderful gardening center. Wednesdays are gardening days which gives me the opportunity to get my hands dirty and do some hands-on learning. Here, I spend my time with Janet Forbes, the Gardening Chair and Master Gardener Volunteer, Dinah Hovey.

So far, I’ve learned the basics about composting. At the gardens, there are three compost bins. In the first bin, there is a mostly green mixture of vegetable refuse and shredded paper. Over time, with heat, the mixture turns into compost. The second bin is full of finished compost, a brown mixture. Finished compost is crumbly and it holds its shape when you squeeze it. Above all, it provides excellent nutrition and changes the soil structure to hold more moisture and air- both of which plants need to thrive.

I started volunteering here on July 5th, and so far I’m pleased to say that I’ve derived a sense of pride through gardening we’re hoping to provide through our efforts in Gaza.

While the gardens at Audubon are mostly for education, I was pleased to learn that excess veggies are donated to local food banks in Jamestown.

Thanks so much to the Jamestown Audubon Nature Center for having me! Click here to check out their website.