Digging In

Our first work day was a great success; we had about eight people show up and, with their help, we did a sweep of the lot for garbage and also discovered a large amount of bricks and beautiful stones to collect for using later.

According to Michael Coughlan, our resident science guy and a teacher at the NYC Lab School for Collaborative Studies, we found a lot of Manhattan schist:  the metamorphic layers give it an orientation and often a long thin geometry which makes it fun for landscaping.  The mica crystals glisten in the sun.  He tells us the larger rocks may have been glacial deposits.  The smooth geometry and large size make for fun landscaping as well.  We saw lots of worms in the soil and not as much clay or brick as we had feared. The soil seems quite organic.

Lincoln Restler stopped by (with doughnuts!) and there was a lot of interest from people passing by on the street too.  We look forward to regular work days, mostly Saturdays but also on the occasional weekday for those who work weekends.  

For more information about joining our group, please email us at javastgarden@gmail.com.  You can also lend your support by donating on any level at IOBY (In Our Backyard).