Summer reflections: Celestial Gardens design and implementation

Interns working at the Celestial Garden in north Minneapolis

We made a community garden at Celestial Gardens for anyone to get fruits and veggies. The garden is also a hang out for people in the community to come together.

First, we cleaned up all the trash. Next, we did multiple things at once: cleaning, raking, and planning out some of the garden plots. We then dug up the grass and we added dirt to make a mound for the plants. We made sure the plants were not root-bound anymore so they can grow well.

Then once all that was done we planned out where we wanted the path to go and we dug up the top of the grass. We added wood chips to the path. In the middle we designed a circle with the yin and yang symbol. And we dug that out. We put a firepit lined with bricks in the middle. We are hoping the place will be enjoyed for sitting.

We got some raspberry bushes and planted them. We made time to go back to each plot and take out the weeds so more veggies could grow. We added mulch to finish the paths.

Northside Safety NET (Neighborhoods Empowering Teens) is an internship program for a cohort of North Minneapolis youth. The program is led by Environmental Initiative and has been developed in partnership with public, private, and nonprofit partners.