From the Archives: The Pollinator Garden

By Natalie Criscione

As you walk, ride your bike, or drive to the co-op, take a moment this spring to pause and look around before dashing inside. What do you see? The outdoor area has evolved dramatically since the building was first opened in June of 2013. Every structure, garden, and colorful mural holds a story of people coming together to plan and carry out a vision. Community, cooperation, and participation are some of the many things that make the co-op special.

For example, perhaps you’ve noticed the pollinator garden on the east side of the building, but have you ever wondered how it got there?

In an “upcoming events” announcement in the Spring 2014 Coop Scoop, the year’s Earth Day Celebration was listed. With promises of fun for all, including children’s activities, a workshop for DIY cleaning supplies, and even a Household Goods Swap, it promised to be a perfect day. One of the other activities promised was “a massive on-site planting project”—no other details given.

It must have tweaked a lot of interest (and was certainly marketed in other ways as well) because on that day in 2014, a good crowd of HWFC members gathered for the promised planting project.

Colie Collen, who is one of today’s current Coop Scoop Editors, but was the Co-op’s Education Coordinator at the time, was there and wrote tion of SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits that we’ve seen in a single year. Which is why we’re so excited to participate in Double Up Food Bucks! the following article (Summer 2014) about the event. You might find as you read it that your own dreams of gardening are piqued. If you are not familiar with the terms “permaculture” or “French drain,” you will be by the end of her article. And, if you haven’t thought about what you might be planting in your own garden for the bees, butterflies, and other pollinators, it’s time to start thinking! Finally, your approach to the co-op may never be quite the same since you will probably take special note of the pollinator garden, established 9 years ago on the east side of the building, and appreciate it even more than you already do.

In 2019 and 2020, Upstate Elevator partnered with Pete’s Greens, Vermont’s premiere organic market farming operation, to grow 70 acres of USDA-certified organic hemp using the company’s in-house feminized seed. From this proprietary hemp, Upstate Elevator Supply Co. produces full-spectrum CBD tinctures, capsules, edibles, and carbonated drinks.

The benefits of including CBDs in your fitness regimen are relief from stress and anxiety, mood elevation and improvement of overall health. Once again, in the words of the company, “CBD is our daily dose of freedom from the ails of modern living.” In the Wellness Department of the Co-op, you will find CBD gummies oils, and seltzers in various flavors.

A match of up to $20 a day could mean $40 for healthy foods. Why is this important? Because too many people don’t have access, even with government aid, to the amount of healthy food needed to support families. Sign up is free and the dollars never expire.

In New York State, Double Up has contributed to 1.1 million pounds of healthy food sales to over 24,000 customers, at more than 130 sites spanning 23 counties.

Visit our Service Desk to sign up and go to honestweight.coop for more information on the program.

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This Earth Day, more than thirty Co-op members came together to install a gorgeous garden on the east side of the store. Sharon Hoffman, a former Co-op employee who has run her own landscaping business in Albany for years, sourced a huge amount of pea gravel, rich compost, cardboard, mulch, and native plants from various local nurseries for this huge project.

A lot of the work we did was inspired by PERMACULTURE, which Bill Mollison has defined as “a philosophy of working with, rather than against nature; of protracted and thoughtful observation rather than protracted and thoughtless labor; and of looking at plants and animals in all their functions, rather than treating any area as a single product system.” We wanted to install something beautiful that would work with the building, the existing landscaping, the sun and the soil. Our hope is to attract pollinators like bees and butterflies to the plants that flower here, and to provide a little bit of beauty for folks walking by, waiting for the bus, and riding their bikes to the Co-op via this entrance.

First we dug out some scraggly grass, then made a deep trench along the length of the garden, filling it with the gravel. This is a version of the classic “French drain,” and will redirect surface water when it rains, reducing erosion on the hillside. We covered the gravel with wheelbarrow upon wheelbarrow of compost, covered the compost with a layer of cardboard, and wet the cardboard. Then we took a fruit and water break, and snapped a photo (see above).

What started as a gray day became bright for the next few hours, and after covering the cardboard with even more compost, we started planting, cutting through the cardboard to place over a hundred plants directly into the fresh soil. We watered all of those plants, giving them a good dose to get their roots growing, and then we all wiped our brows, put our tools away, and went home to take a nap! (At least I did.)

It rained that night, helping establish our new garden. As I write this, it rains again. And whereas before that rain would have run off the roof in rivulets down the hill, now it’s absorbed by a long line of beautiful, living materials. Thank you, Sharon! And our heartfelt thanks to all the members and staff who participated. THIS IS JUST ONE STEP toward making this new building feel more like home.