The community has responded to our effort, as Salado is a small Village, with one elementary campus. Many people loved our honoree and are very excited about the redevelopment of this garden space, especially since the purpose is Farm Fresh and students, along with their families, will learn about fresh food.
 
We accomplished much this summer with the help of our Ft Hood partners and have made modifications to the original plan that we submitted.
 
I.  Here is an outline of the work completed with photos:

• Raised beds for vegetables and herbs - Kathi Walrath Memorial Garden - Early August 202
• Clear cactus bed and prep for raised garden, move raised beds
• Soil and Mulch 

1. $200 - 10 cu yds Bell Ct Compost Facility, Killeen
2. Trucks and manpower to haul and fill the beds  - All work done by Cen-Tex Partnership and Ft Hood soldiers
3. Plants – upon advice from Bell County Master Gardener school garden experts and AgriLife advice, we are waiting to plant the fall garden until the irrigation is installed. The weather has been too hot and dry.​

​II. Irrigation:
The key to making this garden sustainable is irrigation. Various attempts were made in the past to keep the garden watered, especially during the summer, and it finally failed and was left to seed. Keep Salado Beautiful made several attempts to weed and mulch the beds, but without water, the plants will not survive.

• ​Our initial estimate was $4000 bases on conversations with landscapers  and other experts.
• The bid is $5270 Keep Salado Beautiful is prepared to cover the difference between the budget and the bid.
• The garden water is provided by a well, so there is no additional cost to the school district. The irrigation will be installed on Monday, October 4, 2021.

III. Trees
There is a 50ft x 10 flower bed next tot he raised bed veggie garden that edges the Amphitheater.
This will be the fruit tree bed. There are currently grasses in this bed that we plan to move to help secure the berm at the back of the Amphitheater.
I am attending the AgriLife Fruit Tree Conference on October 11 to Help determine the best trees to plant. We have also consulted Master Gardener fruit Tree specialists to assist with selection, planting, and management.

IV. Amphitheater and Shade Cover

• Existing Amphitheater was built in earl 2000's; it needs rock repair

1. Parent will donate stone. 

• Currently the sides and back are road base.  Needs to be terraced and landscaped.  Requires some skilled labor.

1. We have budgeted $600 for labor for these projects
2. Bison Landscape is personally invested in these projects.  Jake Mullins, and A&M trained landscape architect who has helped us define the vision for the garden, is also a TAE parent.  He would like to teach the students in the garden.

• Our vision is to create a true outdoor learning center whee the students can work and learn.  Providing a shade cover the this area would be essential in the Texas sun.

1. The playground has a shade cover provided by the PTO. After exploring several options, we have determined that working the PTO and/or the community at large to purchase shade cover is our best option.  We would like to have the seed money we suggested in the grant -$4000 (or less if we use the full $5270 for irrigation).

V.  Class Beds - the remaining beds in the original garden will serve as pollinator beds and allow students to study the relationships between our food and our dependence on pollinators. We have planted a pumpkin patch for fall and have revived and existing array of native plants.  The bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies have been fun to watch and we've watered this summer, and the students will delight as the work the garden.

We have plans to involve older students, and as the garden progresses, hope to add a greenhouse and include middle school students.

Kindergarden - Sunflowers
1st - Turks Cap, Hummingbirds
2nd - pumpkin patch
3rd - pollinators
4th & 5th - TBD

Dedicating the Kathy Walwrath Memorial vegetable Garden
​August 2021