Next time you drive through Clifton, cut down Payne Street and notice the wildflower garden lining the street. Know that Nativity Academy 6th, 7th, and 8th graders learned more than proper planting technique when they burrowed the bulbs. Park your car and check out the ingenuity of an unheated greenhouse fashioned from plastic and hoops, offering solace for planters and a great spot to enjoy morning coffee. Cruise by on a sunny day and you just might spot Chairman Mike O’Leary driving The Electric Goat, one of only two zero emission mowers in the state. Can it get any “greener”? Well yes, since phase 2 for the mower consists of solar panels to recharge the electric battery, a concept engineered by a neighborhood resident and Speed School student.
Billy Goat Hill’s moniker identifies the rocky terrain once farmed with goats in the nineteenth century that today boasts 35 wheelchair accessible raised beds. The beds are crafted from eastern red cedar milled by Richard Newton of Marengo, Indiana. Their tongue and groove design employed by Youth Build Louisville offers a unique alternative to rust-prone hardware fixtures. The demand for Youth Build’s raised bed design and Newton’s cedar has exploded as more gardeners turn to them for durable cedar beds. It’s hard to fathom Louisville Paving once used this pristine garden as a dumping ground for construction waste. Vice-Chair Virginia Forest jokes that only 2 inches of topsoil exist in this garden, and as such, you can find bits of concrete in the adjacent meadow- soon to be a site for structural art creations. Patria Fielding educated me on the necessary steps for cultivating a butterfly garden- detailing how to choose the plants that larvae (caterpillars) prefer, which nectar producing flowers to plant, and the importance of shelter.
These inspiring, sustainable, and educational possibilities blossomed with the help of a few tireless board members (who ironically, were not gardeners upon inception) and a handful of neighborhood green thumbs eager for a plot, including John Varanese, notable local chef. The “community” of this garden runs deep- in principle as well as practice. Gardeners who find themselves drowning in produce and unable to use their crops regularly donate to United Crescent Hill Ministries.
In the spring of 2009, three beehives took home at the Hill and produced close to 70 pounds of KY State Fair blue ribbon winning amber honey. Did I mention the meditation area tucked behind a thicket of raspberries flanked by giant shitake mushroom logs? This shady sanctuary, known as “The Grove,” contains the handiwork of one Eagle Scout who recycled logs into freestanding benches. Numerous projects at the Hill led to Eagle Scout rankings, some of which include bat and purple martin houses, wildflower plots, and walking paths. If this article sounds like a laundry list of sustainable do-it-yourself’s then you understand the big impact of this little plot. Over three years it has improved neighborhood aesthetic, educated hundreds of adults and children on the importance of conservation, and laid framework for environmentally sustainable living practices which have been repeated tenfold. Come visit Billy Goat Hill Community Garden- take a stroll, talk to a gardener, take their cue. Sustainable living thrives at Billy Goat Hill as this reclaimed landfill turned “incredible acre” inspires others to improve their surroundings, thereby improving the quality of life for everyone.
Special thanks to Mike O’Leary, Virginia Forest, Pam Vetter, and Patria Fielding for their continuous “make things better attitude” – truly inspiring folks!
– Lane Hibbard
How to buy remedies online at best prices? In fact, it is formidably to find of repute pharmacy. Kamagra is a far-famed medication used to treat emasculation. If you’re concerned about sexual dysfunction, you probably know about dosage of levitra. What is the most essential information you have to know about levitra doses? More information about the matter available at levitra dose. Perhaps you already know some about the matter. Usually, having difficulty getting an hard-on can be embarrassing. This disease is best solved with vocational help, generally through counseling with a certified doc. Your pharmacist can help find the option that is better for your state. We hope that the information here answers some of your questions, but please contact physician if you want to know more. Professional staff are experimental, and they will not be shocked by anything you tell.
Great article! Makes me wish I lived in Kentucky so that I could visit 🙂