At Perry Wellness Center, our Agrium planting saga continues. As you recall, we received a grant from Agrium, Inc. to create personal raised planting beds for peers at the center. The grant provided both financial assistance for construction and planting and hands-on assistance and training.

Phyllis Smith is serving as the facilitator of the planting project and recently provided an update on the project. Sixteen raised planting beds have now been completed. The 4’ x 6’ beds were filled with planting soil, watered, and exposed to the heat generation that needs to occur before planting.

All the beds have been claimed by peers and identified by their numbered grid location. To allow for a variety of plants in each construction, the beds were initially divided into quadrants. They will be filled with tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumbers, okra, and a variety of melons.

Miss Phyllis has been using the project to provide lessons in plant selection soil preparation, proper lighting, planting techniques, ongoing garden care, and harvesting. Peers will also be able to sell their wares at Happy Patch Market as produce providers.

Both staff and peers are excited about the new activity. As the center moves forward on the project, Perry Wellness has adopted Agrium’s own project mission: “Growing Together/Feeding the World.” In addition to our support from Agrium, we are pleased to have the support of other area businesses. We have received donated pallets that were used in the construction of the planting beds, and many of the seeds and seedling plants we are using were donated by Farmers’ Feed and Seed.

In the photo above, peers and staff prepare for the most enjoyable stage of the project to date: planting! From left are: Robert Bell, Daisy Bell, Awan Smith, Phyllis Smith, Jeff Williams, Elizabeth Moss, Ronald Yates, and Sonya Mullis.

If you’re in the East College street area of Americus, please drive by and check out our progress!