Build a lined raised bed so an invited East Chicago family can grow safely above their soil

In the Calumet neighborhood, growing vegetables in the ground is off the table because of the smelter legacy in the soil — but families still want gardens. A properly lined raised bed filled entirely with imported clean soil gives an invited household a safe way to grow food above, not in, the legacy. Standard: EPA safe urban gardening on legacy soils guidance + Purdue Extension raised-bed practice; SDG 2 Zero Hunger. Proof: Barrier, clean-fill, and finished-bed photos documented in sequence Method (EPA safe urban gardening on legacy soils guidance + Purdue Extension raised-bed practice; SDG 2 Zero Hunger.): 1. Confirm the host's invitation and the bed's placement on a hard or covered surface where possible. 2. Build a deep frame from untreated lumber, at least 12 inches high. 3. Lay a continuous barrier fabric across the entire base so roots never reach native soil. 4. Fill only with delivered, documented clean topsoil-and-compost mix. 5. Water to settle, top up, and label the bed with its fill source. 6. Photograph the barrier going in, the clean fill, and the finished bed with GPS and date on. Done when: Barrier, clean-fill, and finished-bed photos documented in sequence

Where

Host-invited home yard, Melville Avenue block, East Chicago, IN 46312

Pay

$80 proposed

This packet is not funded yet, so this figure is a proposed price and not money waiting in escrow. If a buyer funds it, approved proof settles that price onchain. If nobody funds it, approved proof earns provable credit toward the work instead of cash. You see which before you claim, never after.

Proof

Barrier, clean-fill, and finished-bed photos documented in sequence

This is exactly what gets it approved. Nothing settles without it.

Level

entry

Open until

2026-09-01

How this work is done

A documented method, so this packet comes out the same whoever does it. Typically 60–120 minutes. Method of record: USDA/SARE sustainable vegetable production + Cooperative Extension Master Gardener practices; People's Garden bed establishment. Hand-tool, DIY-safe food growing on tested/known-clean soil or raised beds.

Bring

• GPS-capable phone
• camera
• garden fork/broadfork + hand trowel
• finished compost + rake
• seeds or transplants (labeled)
• mulch (straw/leaf)
• watering can or hose

Steps

1. 1. Confirm the bed location inside the posting radius; record the GPS waypoint and photograph the bed before work.
2. 2. Clear weeds and debris; loosen the top 8-12 inches with a fork/broadfork without inverting the soil profile.
3. 3. Spread 1-2 inches of finished compost and rake the bed level.
4. 4. Sow seeds to the depth/spacing on the packet, or set transplants at their correct depth, in labeled rows.
5. 5. Water in gently to settle the soil around seeds/roots.
6. 6. Apply a light straw/leaf mulch between rows to hold moisture, keeping it off seedling stems.
7. 7. Record the crop plan, spacing, and a watering/harvest cadence for the next visit.
8. 8. Enter crop list, GPS, before/after photos, and the care cadence into the proof record; sign.

If it does not match the plan

• Soil is untested near a pre-1978 structure, old orchard, or roadway (possible lead/contaminant) -> do not plant edibles in-ground; use a raised bed with clean imported soil and flag for a soil test.
• Out-of-season crop or a hard frost in the forecast -> adjust the crop choice or protect with cover; do not sow into a predictable loss.
• Signs of active pest/disease on transplants -> reject the affected stock and note it; never introduce a known infestation to the bed.

What counts as done

• GPS waypoint recorded inside the posting radius
• Before and after photos of the planted bed
• Crops sown/transplanted at packet-correct depth and spacing, in labeled rows
• Bed watered in and mulched, with a watering/harvest cadence recorded

Proof is measured against these, not judged by taste.