Monday, October 28, 2013

The farm

Naming things has always been fun and naming the zones, or sections of this garden would be something one would expect of me.


The farm.  It has 5 or 6 rows of produce planted.  We are all excited about this endeavor.  It included a trip to a horse stable in Tempe and driving back to the school with horse manure in bags in the back of the minivan.  And now daily watering is in order.

Saturday, October 26, 2013

The Big Work Day

Our big work day turned out a small group of serious workers.


Carrie took care of the roses.



Alan became one with the Weed whacker. 


Kathy and Lynn played farmers.  They added more rows to the garden and planted a bunch of vegetables.  I was in there somewhere adding to the trash pile that Francisco would later clear.

Gratitude goes out to these volunteers who share a love for school gardens.

Friday, October 25, 2013

What should we eat

Michael Pollan has a few thoughts. 
Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.
Read more here.

Thursday, October 24, 2013

Key Club


     Sapna Daryanani set up a work day for the Key Club.



The work they do is priceless. I know I sound mushy when I speak of students participating but I like watching them do their part in keeping the community running smoothly.


Friday, October 18, 2013

The flat look

This area east of the pond had a planter that was not growing anything and was more of a thing to trip on.   


Sunday was spent removing the wood bars that were home to a myriad of bugs, scorpions, and snakes.  That was my big project for the day.  It is flat now because the rebars were also carefully removed.  

Thursday, October 17, 2013

Steps

This garden has two levels, and very rustic steps in two areas.  


You might not be able to see it well, but this is one of those sets of steps,  I cleaned up some dirt to make it more pronounced, and added a border with bricks I recycled.
I found this particularly enjoyable.  Not too hard, just a quick project with visible results.

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

It's a grapevine

I started off this post by asking the question "Grapevines in a school garden?"


I always Google such questions in search of just the right word to use in my commentary, but I found nothing about school gardens and grapevines.

This vine already has stories to tell.  It was planted by two girls who grew up in the deserts of Egypt and really want to learn how to garden.

She will grow to be majestic next to the greenhouse and add shade to the existing "patio" structure.

She will teach too, because she will be visited by a certain kind of bug that we will have to get rid of.

And then there is the Mediterranean feel of the  plant.  Why not have a bit of it in AZ.


Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Scorpions be gone

I was told palm trees shelter scorpions.  This palm tree was recently removed which makes one think we will run into less of them in the future.


With students around, I try and predict what we will need to watch out for.

Monday, October 14, 2013

Planting

The best part of gardening with kids is planting the plants.


Matt and I carefully place seeds in s row,

Saturday, October 12, 2013

Radishes

Radishes have a quality that makes them attractive in any garden:  they are fast,  They sprout fast, and they grow fast.


These are the radishes we planted in the herb garden.  Three to four days after planting I found this on my morning watering trip.

Thursday, October 10, 2013

Corona Grows - the club

The club came out to the garden and dug in.  They cleaned.


Some students are very energetic and I want to accomplish something in the short time that is spend there. I love their energy and their willingness to help. 

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Trash removal

Francisco gets ready to empty the trash compartment.


It turns out that seeing that space empty brings a smile to my face.

Saturday, October 5, 2013

The secret garden

Much like Mary Lennox, I have a key that unlocks the gates of a secret garden.


Once one slips through it, the reaction is very much predictable.  Everyone experiences excitement, wonder , and delight.