NORFOLK, VA – This Earth Day weekend, volunteer to help Eggleston’s Urban Farm retain its rain!
Eggleston Garden Center, with the support of Villa Heights Civic League, received a Retain Your Rain mini grant this spring to build a rainwater catchment system at their urban farm. With the help of community volunteers, Eggleston will build four 275 gallon cisterns that will capture over 1,000 gallons of rainwater runoff from the roof of Meineke Car Care Center. The rainwater will then be used to water the urban farm. This creative approach to stormwater management will provide numerous benefits to the surrounding community.
This will be a hands-on event with opportunities to plant, help build the rainwater cisterns, set up the irrigation system, and learn more about urban farming in Norfolk.
Interested in volunteering? Contact Margaret Epes, project leader, at
mepes@egglestonservices.org or 277-3506.
The urban farm watering project is the second Retain Your Rain grant project in the city. The Northside Civic League spearheaded the city’s first food forest, in partnership with Mary Calcott Elementary School. The food forest, planted in the fall of 2017, features a wide variety of fruit and nut trees. In addition to an educational opportunity, the plants will help absorb nearly 1,000 gallons of water and help curb flooding.
To learn more about Norfolk’s Retain Your Rain program, visit
www.norfolk.gov/retainyourrain