Spring was a busy time in the Bulldogs' garden. The snow and sugar snap peas seeds we planted earlier in the year grew and produced well, as did the tomato, pepper and herb seeds we received from Peaceful Valley Farm Supply. We were pleasantly surprised to find that ALL of the seeds the students planted germinated. Peaceful Valley seed packets say germination is guaranteed and they are not kidding! Most of our seeds were 5 years old and some were planted-- shall we say "not exactly according to instructions?"-- yet they still managed to sprout.
On a very hot day in April, a bunch of the 6th, 7th and 8th graders who were taking study hall elected to harvest peas and celery to make a snack to share and to transplant the tomato and pepper seedlings into paper cups. The tomatoes continued to grow in a sunny window with supplemental light and we sold them to raise money for the garden at our first plant sale at the PCMS Open House on May 10. Students enjoyed making hand-colored signs for our sale in study hall. The sale was a success and we brought in enough money to offset the cost of the grow-light and a few other supplies.
A big thank you goes out to the parent and student volunteers who helped install one of the new garden boxes on a Saturday in April. The 6th graders took over 10 varieties of heirloom tomatoes we raised for the sale and planted them in the new box. They also harvested peas one last time before they cleared that box and the other garden boxes to make room for some pepper and pineapple tomatillo seedlings. Bean and cucumber seeds were planted next to the old pea trellis. They also planted cantaloupe and watermelon seeds and are hopeful for a fruit salad when they return in the fall.
The end of the gardening day was celebrated with a salad of lettuce, sugar snap peas, strawberries and Calendula petals followed by popsicles to cool off from the heat.
A big thank you goes out to the parent and student volunteers who helped install one of the new garden boxes on a Saturday in April. The 6th graders took over 10 varieties of heirloom tomatoes we raised for the sale and planted them in the new box. They also harvested peas one last time before they cleared that box and the other garden boxes to make room for some pepper and pineapple tomatillo seedlings. Bean and cucumber seeds were planted next to the old pea trellis. They also planted cantaloupe and watermelon seeds and are hopeful for a fruit salad when they return in the fall.
The end of the gardening day was celebrated with a salad of lettuce, sugar snap peas, strawberries and Calendula petals followed by popsicles to cool off from the heat.
School is almost out for the summer and students learned a lot this year. Among the things we learned from our garden are:
Thanks to everyone who supported and contributed to the PCMS garden. This blog may continue over summer to show our progress and we plan to install more boxes when we gather again in the fall for another school year.
In the meantime, we leave you with this snippet to ponder. At Shady Creek, the students learn the the song "Dirt Made My Lunch." While this is true, you can take it a step further and acknowledge the worm chefs who made the dirt that made your lunch. So next time you see a worm, thank him for the salad you are eating.
- next time we plant Peaceful Valley tomato seeds, we don't need to plant so many!
- selling plants and making salads from seeds we grew is fun
- Calendula petals are edible and some people think they taste a little like celery
- don't let your carrots grow all winter into hot temperatures in the spring or they might start going to seed and get very woody (a.k.a. better luck next time!)
- sugar snap peas are loved by many and we want to plant them again
- California poppies are the California State flower and are illegal to pick so we keep leave them around the garden boxes (besides, they are so pretty to look at)
- kids will eat salad they grew-- even without salad dressing!
- many hands make light work
- worm farm soil is great growing veggies
Thanks to everyone who supported and contributed to the PCMS garden. This blog may continue over summer to show our progress and we plan to install more boxes when we gather again in the fall for another school year.
In the meantime, we leave you with this snippet to ponder. At Shady Creek, the students learn the the song "Dirt Made My Lunch." While this is true, you can take it a step further and acknowledge the worm chefs who made the dirt that made your lunch. So next time you see a worm, thank him for the salad you are eating.
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