NATIVE DEMONSTATION GARDEN AT NMVC

Resources for Health Roots & Shoots and the Green Team 4H group became the first groups to volunteer through the City of Phoenix Park Stewards program. When we first started volunteering at North Mountain Preserve, we expected to be patrolling hiking trails and picking up trash. We were pleasantly surprised when park rangers presented us with the opportunity to maintain yet another garden. This small plot, located behind the North Mountain Visitor Center, had fallen fallow after city budget cuts reduced the number of park ranger work hours. This garden is focused specifically on teaching park visitors how and what ancient native peoples traditionally farmed and ate. All seeds planted are obtained from Native Seeds / SEARCH, a nonprofit organization that promotes the use of ancient crops of the American Southwest and northwest M exicoby gathering, safeguarding, and distributing their seeds to farming and gardening communities. Hard packed caliche, a layer of soil in which the soil particles have been cemented together by lime (calcium carbonate) has posed the greatest challenge to this garden so far. We were successful, however, in planting two native mesquite trees to shade the garden. During the second planting season efforts were undertaken to build up the soil before planting. A local girl scout troupe is partnering with us also this season.