Brewster Pollinator Garden Planted By Nauset High School Teen

BREWSTER – The corner of AP Newcomb and Abbey Road is sporting a new garden, thanks to the work of Ping Michaels and the Brewster Conservation Trust. 

Michaels, a rising junior at Nauset High School, is an active member of the Life Scouts, participating in Eastham’s Troop 183. Over the past five years, she has earned merit badges on the way to becoming an Eagle Scout. As of last August, she was close to attaining that title. However, in order to earn it, she needed to first complete a community service project. 

 Completing an Eagle Scout community service project is a lengthy process that includes presentation of a proposal before a committee. In Michaels’s case, she had to go before the Cape Cod and Islands Scout Council and provide them with a detailed plan of action. 

 “I knew I wanted to help the environment,” Michaels said. With that in mind, she reached out to Brewster Conservation Trust (BCT), which put her in contact with Katie Spengler, the trust’s land stewardship director. 

 Working with BCT has been “amazing,” Michaels said. “Katie is awesome.”

 Spengler had similar sentiments towards Michaels. “Every time we met she came with a list of questions and next steps, which was a huge help in ensuring we were staying on track,” Spengler said. “She was a pleasure to work with and BCT is very grateful to have had her as the lead on this project.”

 What started as a broader desire to do environmental work was narrowed down to creating a pollinator garden. It was a timely decision, too, as the Brewster Select Board passed a resolution in November of last year to make the town a pollinator-friendly community. Michael’s garden would have an emphasis on native plants, “so that more native animals can repopulate,” she said. 

 Plants selected included common milkweed, butterflywood, coneflower, and switch grass, among others. Naturally suited for Cape Cod’s ecosystem, they are drought tolerant and can sustain extreme weather conditions, such as the winter storms the Cape endured this past year. Ironically, that’s when the physical work of the project began. 

 In January, seeds were planted in milk jugs filled with soil. Some were kept at BCT and some were kept in Michael’s own garden. 

 “They need to be planted through the winter,” Michaels said. The seeds needed to be exposed to the elements in order to stratify. Many wild plants develop a dormancy phase in order to prevent sprouting during false warm spells in the winter and fall. In order for them to sprout on schedule, they were kept outside throughout the fluctuating seasons. 

 The work could be challenging. Michaels was balancing the project with school and various other extracurricular activities, like cheerleading and golf. Additionally, finding donations was an initial challenge. 

 “The plants are expensive, so getting donations for [them] is really helpful,” Michaels said. Finding donors required outreach, coordination and persistence. Ann Michaels, Ping’s mother, remarked that the project occasionally turned her into a “taxi driver.” 

By late April, the seeds had begun to sprout. The land for the garden was chosen out of multiple BCT-owned sites. Free of excessive shrubbery and overgrowth, the intersection of AP Newcomb and Abbey Road was selected.

 “It was the perfect size and scope for Ping to take the lead on,” Spengler said.

By Saturday, June 6 the plants were ready to be transplanted into the ground at the street corner. The work was too strenuous to be completed alone. Michaels enlisted the help of 30 volunteers: some from her own troop, some from BCT, and others. Together, they put over 100 plants into the ground, marking the beginning of a community garden but the end of a long journey for Michaels. 

Looking ahead, Michaels said, “I’m hoping it can grow big and that a lot of native creatures, like bees and insects, can pollinate it and spread the seeds to other places.” 

She’s optimistic about the garden’s future. BCT volunteers have agreed to water it and the plants are hearty, having already survived a tumultuous winter. 

 Michaels herself has grown alongside her plants. Among the many lessons she learned during the project was “to be patient and continue trying when it’s hard,” she said.

 Her mother echoed similar sentiments. 

 “There were so many different things to plan to make this happen,” she said. “I think she grew a lot that way and I think it’ll help her moving forward with school or college or work. I think she did a great job.”

 Michaels is proud of her garden. It’s an achievement relevant to her future studies, as she expressed interest in pursuing a biology or political science degree in college. In the meantime, she may continue gardening for her own personal enjoyment.

 “Maybe a vegetable garden next,” she said.