SEEAG provides garden support at La Colina Junior High through the building of a vermicompost

The SEEAG crew collecting all of the pieces for the vermicompost build at La Colina Junior High School.

It was a warm day at La Colina Junior High, but that didn’t stop a great team from coming together to build something that will keep benefiting the school garden for years to come: a vermicompost setup!

With the help of the SEEAG team, volunteers, and our new UCSB intern, Yaasiel, we spent the day working together in the garden, planning, building, and imagining all the ways this new vermicompost can support La Colina’s students, teachers, and garden programs. 

Building the vermicompost was definitely a hands-on experience. It was a great opportunity to spend time together in the garden while also thinking about the bigger picture: How can we turn organic waste into a resource for the school?

Vermicomposting uses worms to help break down organic materials and create nutrient-rich compost that can be returned to the soil. For La Colina, this system could connect several important pieces of the school’s garden program. It can reduce organic waste, create useful compost for planting, and give students a living example of decomposition, soil health, and sustainable gardening.

The vermicompost can support the work of La Colina’s garden clubs and their planting activities. Instead of organic material becoming waste, students can see how those materials can be transformed into something that helps plants grow, all while learning fun facts about worms. This project will help SEEAG show that gardens are places where people come together, where students can explore science and sustainability, and where small projects can lead to meaningful learning experiences.

A big thank you to everyone who helped make this project happen: our wonderful SEEAG team, volunteers, interns, and the La Colina community. We’re excited to see what grows from this new addition to the garden!

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