Evanston Township High School students and community volunteers are scheduled to be hard at work later today on a new Edible Acre pilot project across from the school.
The project site, a vacant lot on the southeast corner of Davis Street and Dodge Avenue, is actually about an eighth of an acre in size, but organizers say the organic community garden they have planned will provide learning experiences, leadership opportunities and summer jobs for ETHS students, as well as fresh produce.
Unless the weather refuses to cooperate, from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. today adult volunteers and ETHS students will lay down 5,000 square feet of cardboard and cover it with 3 to 6 inches of wood chips to establish the garden base. In case of bad weather, they plan to pick up the project next Tuesday and Wednesday.
Seven raised beds, built by a shop class, are already on the site, with 17 more to come.
The Edible Acre Pilot Project is a joint initiative of The Talking Farm and the high school.