Planting for the Future
This fall Washington Island students had a field day roaming the woods between Gathering Ground and Island School. Since then, they have been working in groups to design a path that connects the school to “The Grounds.” And we couldn’t be more excited! The physical connection of the two properties will create easy access for … Continue reading Forest Path Connecting School to Gathering Ground
Planting trees and tending vines has absorbed the majority of our efforts so far, but education is at the heart of our organization. GG’s internship is entering its fourth year in 2021, and we are excited about how the program is growing. Just as our roots and branches of our trees are extending their reach until maturity, so too are our educational programs.
By Nora Boxer, UWM graduate student in creative writing This January, I was given the opportunity to participate as a student in Write On, Door County’sThe Craft of Writing Series via a scholarship made possible through Gathering Ground. Thefocus of the three-week series was Nature, and it was led by writers Camille Dungy and ScottRussell … Continue reading Nature Writing with Write On and Gathering Ground
Before becoming an intern with my sister Izzy at Gathering Ground, I was an Island regular. Every summer my family would drive up from our Illinois suburb to Washington Island, anticipating the euphoric moment when we would be driving down the curving road, alongside the lake to Gibson’s West Harbor Resort.
by Russell Rolffs, farm manager This year, Gathering Ground grazed six White Dorper sheep, rotating them through the vineyard June to August and then the young chestnut and fruit orchards the rest of the season. Combining livestock with crops is a sustainable practice because it creates a harmonious relationship between two agricultural pursuits wherein the … Continue reading Sheep at Gathering Ground
While these low-sugar grapes are not great for wine, they make excellent jam and jelly! We are welcoming all community members to come harvest grapes for home use. Please maintain social distance from other harvesters and enjoy the grapes!
Much of this was trial and error, sweat and sunburns; all in all, using our 2020 methods helped knock back the Rose Chafers enough so that we can actually have a crop of grapes this year.
Saturday August 1, from 10 am - 2 pm Gathering Ground is happy to present our first garden tour. We've asked 8 Island gardeners to open up their gates to visitors and share a little bit of Island life. Enjoy this socially-distant outdoor activity and get inspired by what people are growing here on the … Continue reading Island Garden Tour
Let's say you live here on the Island, or regularly visit, and don't have your own compost pile. You now have a way to compost your organic matter. "But why is this important? Why should I compost," you might ask. Composting is nature's elegant economy. Nature's economy doesn't produce trash, instead everything old and used … Continue reading Community Composting: Why and How
Beginning in July, our community compost program will be up and running. Our goal is to recycle the kitchen and yard waste from Island households and businesses, up to the holding capacity of our structure, diverting the waste from being dumped and carted off-island. All while producing black soil to enrich our gardens and orchards.
