Zombie Apocalypse Preparation Team

During Thanksgiving week, 11 high schoolers from Four Rivers Charter in Greenfield plugged in with Help Yourself for four days spent preparing for a potential zombified future. Planting edibles around the valley was one available 'intensive' offered at the school, a twice a year, four day elective project or experience.

After a week of digging, massaging cramped root balls and mulching, we got the last of ALL of this years seemingly endless potted or bare root plants in the ground! Whew...

Four Rivers purchased many of the trees from Hadley Garden Center, who also generously donated persimmons to the cause. Tripple Brook Farm also donated a number of flats of perennials, and Bug Hill Farm  contributed dozens of native pollinating bushes.

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Planting @ North Star

All told, we got a lot in the ground: 28 fruit trees, 10 grapes, more than 50 berry bushes, and 40 pollinator bushes!
Our mission began in Hadley, where we got to plant at the World Food Market (who's back yard abuts the bike path) - the first of hopefully many businesses to participate in 'edible exit' plantings off the rail trail. We planted

• 2 'Golden Delight', 10' persimmons at North Star Teen Center
  
• 3 Apples at Tran's World Food Market

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We moved on to Northampton:

• 3 Apples along the Nagle Walkway section of the Rail Trail
  
• 4 Apples & 2 sea berries along the Rail Trail behind the courthouse
  
• 2 yucca & garden sorrel at "Frog town", Maplewood parking lots,
• 10 Northern wine grapes along the O'Donnell house, Rail Trail
  

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Tea @ Community Action!

Then on to Greenfield!:

• 9 Chippewa blueberry & 7 haskap honeyberry at Community Action! Youth Programs
  
• 2 apple trees at Greenfield High School
  
• 2 apple trees, 1 nanny berry, 2 pawpaw and 6 butterfly at the Newton Elementary School
• 2 apples at the Four Corners Elementary School
• 20 buttonbush, 6 wetlands rose, yucca, steeple bush and a kousa dogwood at the Blatchford Forest Garden, 3 Chinese chestnuts and a wild pear along Meyers Farm meadow, and 3 aronia, 3 blueberry and 8 honeyberry at the rain garden -- all at Four Rivers Charter School
• 2 Chinese chestnut, 3 black walnut and 3 buttonbush at Just Roots Community Farm
• 16 aronia, 8 butterfly bush and 3 sweet fern at the Brookie Sculpture Park on Deerfield St

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Along the way we basked in the Smith Botanical Garden and made a requisite pilgrimage to Tripple Brook Farm to load up on plants, help cut bamboo, and feast on prickly pears. Go team!

Check out all the empty pots!

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