Getting ready for spring...

We've had a oddly cold winter (I seriously saw snow the week after spring break!) but we are getting ready to start doing some serious work in the garden.

We've planted several different seeds in the greenhouse, including several native Hawaiian plants that I purchased in Hawaii last summer.

The 6th grade classes have also planted several different vegetables and herbs in the garden beds. Mr. Swan's class built a pea trellis and we are just waiting for some sprouts :) Mr. Swan also spent a lot of time bringing new compost.

Using some of the grant money we received from Annie's Homegrown, we have ordered a bunch of vegetable and herb starts that will be delivered in a couple weeks. 

$250 Grant Awarded from Annie's!!

Our garden/greenhouse project has been awarded a $250 grant from Annie's, Inc! In addition, we have been entered in a contest to double our money! Click the link below to visit Annie's Facebook page and click on the "Poll" tab. Then vote for Harrison Park! The school with the most votes by February 24th gets an additional $250.

Show your support in less than a minute!

www.facebook.com/annieshomegrown


And don't forget to support Annie's by buying their products!

New Bench Dedicated to our Most Important Volunteer

Here is a picture of a great bench that our school nurse, Carol, arranged to have built secretly for an amazing volunteer here at school: Ralph Leftwich. Not only has Ralph been a major component in getting our garden built and functioning - but he is also involved in many other activities, including running Chess Club.

Before & After updates

Ralph sent me some before and after pics today. Thought I would post them since we haven't had a whole lot of work done due to the weather. We have been putting a lot of thought into our spring plans and can't wait!

What we've been up to...

First off, the 6th graders have had the chance to learning about composting and worms (all taught by Jesse: a GENEROUS weekly volunteer in my classroom). We now have a couple worm/composting bins inside the classrooms where students are responsible for feeding/maintaining everything. 

Next,  classes have gone out and worked in the garden and planted garlic in one of the unused beds.

Our school also offers a "Backpack Program" where 20 backpacks are filled with donated food every Friday and sent home with a student. This ensures that they have food on the weekends. The program started last Friday and we were able to include several different kinds of FRESH vegetables, such as tomatoes, collards, beets, zucchini, kale, and beans. This is a big step for us - showing that when everyone works together, we can help our school & community. We hope to continue donating produce on a weekly basis, for as long as it lasts.

I found this link on the Whole Foods website: Student Lunch Box Planner. Basically it has a weekly planner of nutritious and tasty meals for kids to bring to school, with a cost per serving that I think are all pretty reasonable. Then if you create the possibility of kids bringing home FREE fruits/vegs from our school garden (on a somewhat regular basis) you knock the cost down even more.

Keep money in your pocket. Feed your kids healthy meals. Throw away less garbage! (Has anyone else noticed just how much packaging each school lunch is?!?!?!)

Thought you might like to check it out!

Things happening...

We've been preparing for 6th graders to spend a week at Outdoor School in late October, and the garden has been especially useful. The curriculum for Outdoor School revolves around field studies of Soil, Water, Animals, and Plants. This week we've been studying soil, and students spent time in the garden and there was more than enough produce for each student to take home a couple things. Students also spent time establishing their own rules for the garden and greenhouse now that the entire school has access to it.

The ginger I bought in Hawaii is also growing well in our greenhouse.

In the next week, students are going to start their own compost and plant garlic in one of the empty beds.