Your update on all things compost related!
This week we collected one full bin of food scraps at the Galvez Garden for our composting efforts. We added leaves from the ground and shredded cardboard as our browns.
Here’s the addition of this week’s collection before and after adding browns.
Things are going smoothly on the composting front and we’re thrilled for our upcoming meeting with Keep Louisiana Beautiful, set to take place on Tuesday. This will give us more information about the beautification project grant we will be using for our native plant initiative at the garden. I’m looking forward to learning more about the process and getting to work in preparation of the upcoming spring. Our proposal plan includes adding bamboo as a windshield/ privacy shield on the Galvez Street side of the property, adding a trash can, “Welcome to St Roch” community signage, and more native plants to the garden. I haven’t planted anything but seeds since we took a hit in the last big freeze, so I’m over the moon about being able to buy more established plants to add some fresh new growth to our garden!
Also, I said I would follow up on the art show. I’m happy to share that the artwork I created was well received and the show was a smashing success! Here’s a snippet of the work I created for the CSED Outdoor Learning Center.
I made two pieces specifically for the location. One was an installation sculpture, and the other is a mixed medium piece, adorned with gold leaf. Both feature the Mississippi River as the subject matter, and while complementary works, they are uniquely distinctive from each other.
It was so much fun to process all I’ve been learning about and doing through the creation of these works. I think I may have found a new niche to expand upon for many future projects, in which I can further examine my relationship with plants, land, and water. I’m excited that I made something tangible and grateful for the opportunity to be featured in an exhibition focused on place and sustainability. The Center for Sustainable Engagement and Development would very much like to display my work at their office in Holy Cross for a length of time, in the backyard. I feel compelled to ultimately share it with my mentors from LSUAg, or even the New Orleans Mosquito, Termite and Rodent Control Board (who gave me mosquito fish for the pond) so it might have several homes in a rotation before landing a permanent residence…stay tuned for more information as to where the sculpture ends up!
I share this to say, this journey has led me to meet so many incredible and interesting individuals, collectively working to make positive impacts in our community. Through community gardening I have been exposed to some of the most beautiful, hardworking, and kind people! It’s been a blast to be able to incorporate art into the mix and I’m excited to keep that momentum going. I was so inspired at the exhibition for the conversations. I felt blessed to have witnessed and been a part of the dialogue between science, culture, and art, as they unfolded at the happening. I was humbled and honored to be a part of the event.
Meeting people doing work for their communities and for restoration efforts is always inspiring. It was a delight to see old and new friends come to out to experience the event. Knowing me as a gardener, artist, mother, or neighbor, it was profoundly rewarding to feel supported in my efforts to make changes on a local level. I feel compelled to continue to express myself through art, focused on sustainability, and using the life cycle of plants as a muse. Heck, maybe my next work should feature compost as the subject… wouldn’t that just be a trippy delight?
For now, I still assert, I’m really proud that this little family is taking a role in conservation efforts through our efforts in our site and by offering community composting at the Galvez Garden. Thanks to everyone who came out this week to assist in our efforts to divert waste from our landfills. I really do believe that every effort is worth it, and small things lead to great things.
Until next week, best of luck with planning and planting your spring gardens! Stay cool, y’all, and thanks for reading!
Love,
Lissie and the I Dig It Team
I dig it. 
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