During the month of December there wasn't very much human activity in the garden. Between the copious amount of rain we received and winter break, the garden was a rather quiet place this month.
The 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders did manage to plant a good number of crops before going on vacation. They pulled weeds, raked the beds, and planted peas, lettuce, chard, broccoli, more lettuce, fava beans, other greens, and yet more..you guessed it...lettuce. We will see if we actually manage to harvest some of it because some type of garden pest has been eating many of the baby shoots. Our lunch time crew also has placed two new sitting areas in the garden and spread a lot of the redwood mulch on the paths.
The K-3rd grade classes that I work with have continued their study of the senses in the garden. This month saw us composing poems made entirely of garden sounds, making potpourri of garden herbs, and shaking mystery objects in an attempt to figure out what they are by listening. These classes will continue to work with me through the end of January and then the garden schedule will be re-evaluated, and new classes will have an opportunity to work with me.
We did have a successful work day during December where we managed to get in a bunch of steps. Then over the winter break, we installed a few more. If you are interested in helping with this ongoing project, please scope out our next work day on the Upcoming Events page. If you don't have time to spare, but you would still like to support the garden, please see if you can donate any of the items from the Help Our Garden Grow page.
I'll end this post with a note about the apparent quiet of the garden during this season. It seems fitting that during this time of cold and dark that our garden would be hibernating as well. This is a time for rest and rejuvenation- a lesson we would all do well to emulate. One cannot thrive without having time to build stores of energy. This is, in fact, what our garden is doing. It is replenishing its stores of water. And since the soil is almost always moist right now, it is making some things (such as woody plant materials) easier to decompose. This process of decomposition leads to richer soil. Mushrooms are emerging everywhere in the garden which means that dense networks that share minerals and nutrients are proliferating just below the surface. So, although it is quiet on the surface, the garden is already preparing itself for spring.
The 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders did manage to plant a good number of crops before going on vacation. They pulled weeds, raked the beds, and planted peas, lettuce, chard, broccoli, more lettuce, fava beans, other greens, and yet more..you guessed it...lettuce. We will see if we actually manage to harvest some of it because some type of garden pest has been eating many of the baby shoots. Our lunch time crew also has placed two new sitting areas in the garden and spread a lot of the redwood mulch on the paths.
The K-3rd grade classes that I work with have continued their study of the senses in the garden. This month saw us composing poems made entirely of garden sounds, making potpourri of garden herbs, and shaking mystery objects in an attempt to figure out what they are by listening. These classes will continue to work with me through the end of January and then the garden schedule will be re-evaluated, and new classes will have an opportunity to work with me.
We did have a successful work day during December where we managed to get in a bunch of steps. Then over the winter break, we installed a few more. If you are interested in helping with this ongoing project, please scope out our next work day on the Upcoming Events page. If you don't have time to spare, but you would still like to support the garden, please see if you can donate any of the items from the Help Our Garden Grow page.
I'll end this post with a note about the apparent quiet of the garden during this season. It seems fitting that during this time of cold and dark that our garden would be hibernating as well. This is a time for rest and rejuvenation- a lesson we would all do well to emulate. One cannot thrive without having time to build stores of energy. This is, in fact, what our garden is doing. It is replenishing its stores of water. And since the soil is almost always moist right now, it is making some things (such as woody plant materials) easier to decompose. This process of decomposition leads to richer soil. Mushrooms are emerging everywhere in the garden which means that dense networks that share minerals and nutrients are proliferating just below the surface. So, although it is quiet on the surface, the garden is already preparing itself for spring.
RSS Feed