Garden Parent Jody Branham:

March 12:  Last Thursday Room 19 planted some early bird tomatoes and flowers.  I purchased starts of tomatoes so maybe we can get early enough start to perhpas have some early tomatoes for the kids.  We also planted a variety of summer squash seeds, basil, green beans, etc in the greenhouse. 

Garden Parent Lisa Fierro:

Class 17 went to the Garden Thursday, 3/12 and performed the following tasks:

 

1)      We Checked our bed for ripe veggies and harvested radishes and carrots.  It was pretty funny though, the kids were really grossed out about the manure that was added to our plot and were afraid to eat what we harvested.  I assured them that if they wash the veggies really well they can eat them.  I also explained that manure is really good fertilizer.

2)      We planted basil and swiss chard in our garden.

3)     We watered the greenhouse seedlings.

4)    We put dry/brown material in all of the worm bins

5)      We loaded up a wheelbarrow of woodchips from outside the fence behind the compost area and distributed them on any exposed dirt pathways and throughout the orchard area

6)      We picked up and dispose of any trash

7)      We filled the bird baths with water

8)   We returned the wheelbarrows to compost area

9)   We raked leaves from the pathways and deposited them in the compost pile

10)  We filled the bird feeders with seeds 

11) We weeded around our garden plot. 

12)  We watered our garden.

Garden Parent Barbara Bleckman:

March 13: Today with room 4, I brought in braised swiss chard...picked from the garden. Ms. Stewart love it, as did about 10 children who never tried it. Out of 21 kids, 20 tried it and only 4 didn't care for it!

We are sending home the recipe in their backpack....also harvested our carrots.

Garden Parent Deborah Gloates:

March 2: Room 1 weeded their garden bed consisting of garlic and fava beans, both are growing very nicely.  Room 1 also mixed compost and top soil and blended around the plants and throughout the bed to help provide nutrients for Spring growth.

Garden Parent Jody Branham

Rm. 19: Ms. Lacky's 3rd Grade Class Garden entry for Feb. 10th:

Today Rm. 19 learned about the two different way plants "replicate" themselves... ie: make MORE plants.  First by making seeds, and second by "vegetative replication".  We identified some different vegetative examples of plants: strawberries have runners that spread, rhizomes have horizontal roots that make shoots which grow another plant, potatoes are also roots that spread and grow more potato plants, and bulbs make more bulbs and flower!

We "adopted" the right side of the arbor and have planted a flower garden of different kinds of rhizomes (Hollyhocks, Dahlias), and bulbs (Gladiolas, Bearded Iris, Fresias, and Daffodils).  We also planted Clematis (another rhizome) on either side of the garden entrance which we hope will grow up and gracefully cover the arbor over the gateway.  And now the rain is doing it's magic!

Each student has also planted a clay pot of bulbs of their own which are in the class room ... so they can watch them sprout up close! 

Garden Parent Barbara Bleckman

Week of Feb. 8, Room B

This past week with Mrs. Stapp's class we filled up one garden container with more dirt, made a pattern with our flowers and plants of ornamental kale and ivy and planted them.

In the other container we weeded and planted calla lilies and pansies.

Garden Parent Jody Branham

On Thursday, Jan. 29th Ms. Lackey's Rm. 19 had fun working in the garden in the lovely sunshine.

The class:

Weeded our garden bed (and some other beds).  Our garlic, parsley, and carrots are especially doing well!  

 

Cleaned up the strawberry bed.  We pulled old out dead foliage and unearthed the strawberry plants that had planted themselves on the garden path surrounding the bed.  These "new" strawberry plants are now in the greenhouse and ready for planting in classroom beds... 

 

Also, pruned the apple tree next to the shed and put all of the branches in the refuse pile in the back by the compost.

 

And pruned all of the rose bushes along the arbor on the entrance path, including the gigantic one at the entrance.  

FYI: She would like to reassure everyone that this cutting back or "pruning" will actually HELP the rose bushes make even more lovely roses!  The roots won't have to work on feeding so many branches and leaves but can concentrate on feeding the flower production.  There are still rose bushes that need pruning along the fence. (Maybe we'll get to that this week!)

 

Suggestions: 

*We had the idea of making one big strawberry bed, and could start it with the extra strawberry plants in the greenhouse.  Maybe in the long strip of earth beside the beds at the end?!

*There are still quite a few branches left in the orchard from this year's cuttings that need to be taken back to the pile.  Maybe a game would help: whoever collects the most "sticks" wins!

* There are still several beds with weeds or plants that are going to seed.  Once these weeds make little seeds, they fly all over and spread!  We need to get these pulled ASAP!

* If anyone wants to go by Starbucks or Pete's Cofee and pick up coffee grinds, they can put them around the rose bushes.  Roses LOVE the acidic coffee bean waste!!!  (These stores have told me they are happy to keep the bagged coffee bean waste for us for that day if we let them know in the morning and pick up it up before they close.)

 

Happy gardening from Rm 19!

Garden Parent Lisa Fierro reports that Mr. Stachons's class did the following:

                   I am reporting on what we did Thursday, Jan  29th.  I took 12  kids from room 17 to the garden and performed the following tasks: 

 

       *   We watered the greenhouse seedlings updated the clipboard. 

       *  We checked the black worm bins outside the shed and  added newspaper. 

     *   We  pulled weeds in our garden bed #17  and also the flowerbed at the very end where the daffodils were planted and watered.

     *   We cleaned and returned tools to the shed .

     *    We picked up & disposed of trash.  

 

 

I  also did a lesson plan with the kids on a flowering plant's anatomy (we looked at a diagram and also compared the diagram to an actual plant).  We also learned about the fact that plants have common names and scientific names and why they do.  I gave them a worksheet to complete on their own with websites listed that they can use as a resource to match up the names.

Garden Parent Margaret Schultz reports that during the week of January 5, Room 3 (Mrs. Bremer) did the following:

Last week we made an indoor compost pile and harvested a some of the worms from the bin to see what they would do with our mulilayered compost that was in a fish tank.  The kids were very creative about what they wanted to look for as the week progressed.  Stay tuned as to what they found.

 

I have purchased an outdoor thermometer that we will install in the garden tomorrow.  I have ordered a compost thermometer as well.  It is long so it goes deep into the compost.  We plan to keep a journal of the temperature, the weather, the position of the sun.  The temp of the worm bin and the temp of the compost (when the compost therm arrives).  We will try to take the temp of the worm bin with a meat thermometer.  We will also begin to start noting where the sun is in the sky (if visible) and if we can track it's position change from now until the end of the year.

 

I would like to force some bulbs with the children.  Maybe one bulb for 2 kids?  I was trying to figure out how to force them in water so the kids could see the roots.  I was thinking clear plastic cups with rocks in them or some cheep glass bowls from Pier One or Cost Plus or something.  I need to purchase bulbs soon and cool them in order to do this with them in late February.  Any recommendations as to where to purchase the bulbs.  I understand the Amarylis (sp) is the best for root watching.

 

We also plan to make a scare crow, map the garden.  Then do an experiement with seeds planted in 3 containers.  One that grows in the dark.  One that grows in the light, and one that grows in the light that we say some nice things to.  We will measure their growth and compare and also note other observations (color, or lack thereof, etc.).

Garden Parent Lisa Fierro reports that during the week of:

Thursday, Jan 8th.  I took 13 kids from room 17 (Mr. Stachon) to the garden and performed the following tasks:

 

*   We searched for mushrooms and found a bunch by the green platforms

 *  We watered the greenhouse seedlings.   

 *  We checked the black worm bins outside the shed and  added newspaper.

*  We cut off any dead flower buds on rose bushes  

 *   We pulled weeds in our garden bed #17.  

*     We loaded up a wheelbarrow of woodchips from outside the fence behind the compost area and distributed them on exposed dirt pathways and throughout the orchard area.

*   We moved leaves and debris to the top of the compost pile.

*  We raked leaves that were around the path and deposited them in the compost pile. 

*  The birdbaths were watered.

*   We cleaned and returned tools to the shed

*   We Returned all wheelbarrows we used to compost area.