Efforts are under way to grow a community garden at the University of Hawaii Maui College, and work on garden infrastructure is planned this month.
The garden is a project of the Sustainable Living Institute of Maui and funded by the Ulupono Initiative, Community Work Day and the Department of Water Supply. It will be the first community garden within the University of Hawaii system and is located across from the swap meet site.
Every Friday, starting this Friday, there will be a garden workday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Volunteers can help plant, organize and create this new garden space.
In addition, there will be two August building projects:
* On Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., a toolshed will be built. Those attending are asked to bring tools, water, snacks and work gloves. This small structure will house garden tools and supplies.
* On Aug. 18 and 19 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., there will be an earth bag architecture project. Volunteers should bring shovels, water, snacks and work gloves. Many hands will make light work to build a 300-foot retaining wall for garden terraces. The cutting-edge technology is easy to build and useful for all homeowners. The finished product will be round, sandbag walls defining the garden.
A pizza lunch will be provided by Flatbread Pizza on all the workdays.
The goal is to have the garden installed and ready for students, who often don't have spaces for gardens where they live, and community members who have rented plots by Aug. 22.
Plots are still available for rent. The annual fee for a 4-by-8-foot plot is $50 and $75 for a 5-by-10-foot plot.
The money collected will be used for infrastructure, supplies, operations, maintenance and to help support the garden coordinator, said Jennifer Chirico, executive director of the Sustainable Living Institute of Maui.
The garden is welcoming donations and sponsors. To donate or to get involved, contact Garden Coordinator Tracy Tarlow. Her email is tracytarlow@gmail.com; her phone number is (415) 717-2217.
