Involved

  • Thank you for your interest in helping with HMSIS' gardens. Please read this information carefully to better understand the needs of our gardens and how you can be part of the process.

     

    Before volunteering:

    1. Please contact the garden committee to let them know you are interested in volunteering. You can do so by emailing either Marie-Claire Leman marieclaireleman@gmail.com or Marney Richards marneyrichards370@gmail.com.
    2. Complete the LCS volunteer form: https://volunteers.leonschools.net/
    3. Have an idea of how and when you would like to help.

    A member of the Garden Committee will be in touch to schedule a time to meet with you to work in the gardens.

     

    Volunteer opportunities in the gardens:

    At HMSIS we have vegetable gardens and a pollinator garden. The tasks vary for each garden and for each season.

    The vegetable gardens are typically dormant in July and August, as activity decreases during those months at school. In September and October, we plan and plant the fall/winter garden. This is a time when we often need volunteer help. During the months of November through February, we mostly work on maintenance, with some occasional harvesting. The harvest is offered to members of the HMSIS community through an online sign-up process. As the weather warms up, some additional "warm weather" plants are added and will grow through to the end of the school year. After our last harvest, we plan on a few days to clean up the garden beds and cover them for the summer.

    The pollinator garden needs a little maintenance. Once the plants are established, they only need watering in very dry periods and do not need fertilizer. To help keep the garden low-maintenance, the right plants provide food for the pollinators. Bird feeders, which need regular cleaning and filling, aren't used. During the warmer months, the garden needs weeding and occasional pruning and we can use volunteer help. The Garden Committee knows which plants are weeds, which are native groundcovers and plants that support the pollinators. The committee can work with volunteers interested in helping with the garden cleanups.