girl scouts of the colonial coastGirl Scout Ambassador of Troop 1356, Virginia, recently earned her Gold Award by completing a project she titled, H Squared! To earn her Gold Award, Virginia created an herb garden using Hugelkultur gardening methods in the Williamsburg Community Growers (WCG) community garden. In addition to the garden, she provided education opportunities for Williamsburg residents to learn about the herb garden and Hugelkultur methods, as part of her project.
After deciding on a project plan, Virginia worked with Liz Callan, volunteer coordinator for WCG, throughout the process to bring her vision to life. WCG is a nonprofit organization located in Williamsburg, VA with a mission to educate the public regarding the benefits of producing and consuming locally grown produce, provide gardening space for individuals and organizations and demonstrate and promote conservation practices. They were the perfect partner for Virginia’s vision!
Once the herb garden was established, Virginia’s hands-on education opportunities were open to the public. During the sessions, she discussed how to use Hugelkultur gardening methods and some of the benefits of using herbs like the ones grown in the H Squared garden.
“Hugelkultur is a specific type of permaculture method that uses logs, twigs, and other natural resources,” Olson said. “This type of gardening allows the herbs to grow while using organic resources, which makes it more accessible to people of all income levels.”
After the two workshops were held and the herb garden had grown, it was time to harvest!
“The herbs were donated to Williamsburg House of Mery which helped address food insecurity,” she said. “Herbs may not be very filling but they can enhance the quality and taste of food which is important and something that everyone deserves.”
WCG donated wood, soil, hay and other supplies throughout the project to build the garden. WCG has pledged to proceed with the garden’s routine maintenance and to maintain a relationship with Williamsburg House of Mercy to continue Virginia’s mission.
Congratulations, Virginia!
