Strong Start!

We're two weeks into the school year & our garden is almost ready for a transition from summer to fall. This year even more students get the opportunity to learn in the garden each week -- 300 students vs 85 last year! Here's what we've been up to at the (strong!) start to the school year:

Garden Library -- with an even greater focus on reading & literacy throughout our school, students now get to enjoy reading books from our budding garden library. Students find cozy, favorite spots in the green dome, teepee, tunnels and under trees to read their chosen books.

For our first kindergarten lessons, we are focusing on all the colors in the garden. The students toured the garden, ready with their 'cameras' (imaginary!) to snap pictures of all the colors they wanted to remember. On our next visit to the garden, we read the book Mary Wore Her Red Dress, originally a folksong, adapted by Merle Peek. Students helped to add new, personalized verses -- like this one: "Benjamin saw a orange pumpkin, orange pumpkin, orange pumpkin. Benjamin saw an orange pumpkin in the garden." Kindergarteners also went on a color scavenger hunt and shared their favorite findings with each other. We've also been enjoying fresh apples from our garden trees... and we used some of the wormy ones to print with!

Looking for colors in the garden. And apple prints!

In first and second grade we read The Seasons of Arnold's Apple Tree, by Gail Gibbons, and noticed the changes in Arnold's tree throughout the year. Then we toured the garden to see what changes we noticed since last school year. Students picked and ate apples, too!

There's more! First, Second & Third graders planted radish seeds. Students who returned to the garden this week were excited to see a big change from last week: the radish seeds have already sprouted! We started our class off with the book Up, Down and Around, by Katherine Ayres. Students noticed how different plants grow, and talked about the plant parts that we eat. The part of the radish that we eat will develop under the ground... just like the potatoes that first graders planted this week, too! We've been busy!!

Summer garden bounty

School starts next week & the garden is ready! Starting a bit earlier than other schools gives us a chance to use more of our summer bounty. During the 5-week summer vacation we donated over 100 pounds of fresh garden produce to Ecumenical Hunger Program, right down the street from our school. Summer staff at the school enjoyed quite a bit of squash and tomatoes, too!

Here's a peek at what's growing in the garden this summer:

These lovely, petite seedless green grapes pretty much take care of themselves. They've been here at least 8 years! 

Quince! We'll be making membrillo and poached quince with these guys. 

I love growing a 'Three Sisters Garden' each summer -- winter squash, corn and climbing beans. The are great companion plants. This year I tried Cherokee Trail of Tears bean (on the left) and strawberry popcorn (on the right). Pumpkins, butternut squash and Red Kuri squash climbed on the ground beneath them. 

These beautiful Scarlet Runner beans were wonderful on our garden tunnel (see below) & trellises. Hummingbirds love the bright red flowers. I let these beans dry so the kids can harvest the vibrant beans & plant them in the spring. 

One of our fun garden tunnels. This year scarlet runner beans, morning glories, cucumbers and Red Kuri squash covered it with color. 

A rainbow of produce ready to be donated. Pictured from top to bottom: three types of summer squash, red kuru squash, Cherokee Purple tomatoes, apples, plums, Bearss limes, cucumbers. 

More produce to donate. Summer squash started to get a little out of hand!