Rachael Mueller, an AmeriCorps volunteer, is interning with TreeUtah this summer and has been designated the official garden steward. She is new to permaculture but has been immersed in it since starting her internship.

"I'm totally new to permaculture, so it's been an intense educational experience," Mueller said.

She has found it satisfying to be involved with publicity for the garden and recruiting volunteers. Mueller wishes she could have started her internship earlier to control weeds more easily.

"All the weeding that had to be done (was difficult) because of how overrun it was before we could get to it," she said.

One of the most time-consuming of Mueller's responsibilities is watering all the plants. Some of the annuals only need to be watered once a week, but others must have water every two to three days. Radaski said they are in the process of installing a drip irrigation system to make watering more time-efficient.

In the future, Radaski doesn't see the footprint of the garden increasing, but she would like to build a dugout amphitheater and a small cob structure for educational purposes. Cob is a material similar to adobe made from clay, sand, straw and water mixed together. However, in terms of cost, Radaski is not sure the city will allow the structure to be built.

The land the garden sits on was originally intended as an overflow retention basin for the Jordan River. When TreeUtah decided to do an Eco Garden, they considered putting it at Bend in the River Park along the Provo-Jordan River Parkway Trail. However, the land was too toxic with mercury and lead to grow anything edible. The plot by the library seemed to be the perfect solution. The Day-Riverside Library opened 10 years ago to be a nature study area, and the Eco Garden has been beneficial, Radaski said.

"This library holds all sorts of nature-related programs," she said. "They're very supportive of our garden here and the programs we do here."

For more information about the Eco Garden or TreeUtah, interested individuals can call Radaski or Mueller at 324-2122 or visit www.treeutah.org.

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E-mail: twalquist@desnews.com