For Hands on Atlanta day on September 10th from 8:30-1pm, Clarkston Development Foundation will be coordinating Phase 2 of an Installation at the Clarkston Community Center Urban Orchard. This is a collaboration between the Clarkston Community Center and Hands on Atlanta to build upon the work begun in April 30th, 2011 with the Comcast Cares day.
The goal of the Urban Orchard at the Clarkston Community Center is to jump-start an ecology of low-maintenance, food and medicine-producing, perennial plants. The first phase was to establish passive irrigation and to get the main elements, the trees, in the ground. The next phase of this is to expand from a controlled edge, the trees and the swales, and implement more diversity of shrubs and perennial plants. These plants will have various functions:
• To produce food and medicine
• To establish plants that will increase fertility around the swales and trees
• To break up compact soil
• To produce biomass-both above ground and below ground with roots
• Plants that fix nitrogen
• Plants that act as a nutrient net in the swales to reduce nutrient runoff
• To establish nectaries that will attract and feed a vibrant insect life on the land
• To establish plants that will increase biodiversity on the land
• To establish an understory that will compete with the existing understory, grass
• More flowers because flowers are beautiful
We are recommending a number of plants to be planted on the swales and on the weeded mulch beds surrounding each plant. If we have the energy, it would be beneficial to increase the size of each mulch bed around each tree. It is important to establish these plants as soon after the hot summer as possible so they have the entire autumn, winter and spring to establish roots.
We are excited to be continuing this work and it is possible because of our great community volunteers and community partners. Come on out on September 10 and join us or check back here to see some of the pictures.