Children, what do you see? Dirt, dirt, dirt.

Today was a very hot day in the garden. The humidity was intense, but it is October in Florida.
The kids were still really happy to be out in the garden again. As they get to know us better they are becoming better listeners. They are like little sponges, soaking up all the information they can about the garden and about us.

We talked about dirt today, comparing the different kinds and what could grow in each. They enjoyed the hands-on part of it the most, feeling and smelling the different types of dirt to see how they were different. Even though some of them protested when we said we were going to touch it, they all had fun once we actually got there!

The garden itself is looking amazing. Everything is getting so big. The radishes have started poking their little red tops out of the dirt, signaling to us that they are ready to be picked. The beans, potato, gourd, pumpkin, cucumber and watermelon are all flowering and there are tons of pollinators around to help the plants through that process. There is a massive watermelon growing in the watermelon bed. We didn’t even notice it before and now it is huge. There are also a bunch of little watermelons that are bigger every time we visit the garden. The kids were really excited about them!

Taking care of the garden is such a wonderful experience. Helping the little plants (and children) along and seeing them grow makes all the humidity worth it!

Distance Makes The Heart Grow Fonder

Only one week away from the garden felt like several weeks of absence. It was a hot and humid morning, as it so often is in Florida, and as though it truthfully had been more than just a few days since our last visit, the garden is flourishing madly.The okra is enormous and is beginning to birth new baby okras. Several frogs were sighted sitting on the hand-shaped okra leaves, having taken refuge from the sun in their shade. The pea rows have begun to climb their constructed fences, from which the two newer gourds took as example and they too are beginning to climb their fence. In only a few days, the sunflowers are shooting right up and getting pretty tall. The peppers have produced petite purple flowers which can be spotted among their foliage. The three sisters are growing faster than one could even imagine: The corn is already giving seed, the squash (and lone, singular pumpkin) are huge and spreading outward, and the pole beans are already making an appearance. The aloe is greening up, although plans for a sun-barrier are being established to better suit their needs.The watermelon is doing awesome- with six or seven small nubs that will develop into giant green spheres of deliciousness. One of the watermelons is even bigger than my fist!

There were so many ripe and ready radishes that we just had to prune out some, harvesting several of them to make room for the others, even though they too are calling to be plucked from the earth and tossed into a salad.

We spent most of the morning weeding, as the weeds too grew wildly over the fall recess and have popped up in and around most of the garden beds. The compost, which was saturated well by yesterday's hard rain, was turned, and because most everything in the garden was moistened by the precipitation, no watering was really necessary. The water provided not only drink to the Peace Patch plants, but gave them a glittering luster, which made the garden appear even more glorious and welcoming of our return.
William Shakespeare once said, “Absence doth sharpen love, presence strengthens it; the one brings fuel, the other blows it till it burns clear." In other words, the garden love grows on! While everyone was away missing the garden and taking time to replenish and rejuvinate, the garden was preparing itself for our blissful return, waiting patiently to impress us with its beauty and welcome us back, thriving in its thriving excellence and reinforcing just how much we love the place we've created, and the bonds we've established within it.

Quiet morning on the Garden Front

This morning was a peaceful one with a slight breeze and nice chill in the air. We weeded as usual on a Friday morning as most of the good stuff has already been accomplished. It was nice to just be in the dirt almost seeing the plants grow. As the morning moved on we decided to transplant the random mixed up pumpkin out of the bed and into the three sisters patch where it would spread its leaves and grow full on. It did not look so happy by the time the third graders arrived so the kids and I watered it and we explained even though the plant looked like it was dying that it could just as easily come back full fledged to life. The kids loved that!

As we walked them through the five senses we examined the radishes, which are huge and a nice reddish pink color which makes for a nice sight observation. They were fully amazed by the tiny green frogs hiding in the pineapple plants and we observed them the longest. Oh the beautiful minds of children.

So even though the morning was a quiet one the garden full of children is a wonderful sight and being able to teach them something they never knew is a priceless thing. The garden looks amazing as we stood there in the silence once the kids left. All of garden is so green and crisp looking; it is quite a happy sight.

A foggy day in London town but a sunny one in St. Petersburg

We began our day as the Floridian sun shined on the Edible Peace Patch bringing the temperature to a toasty eighty-four in the middle of October. We were amazed to see how much the plants have grown since last week. It seems that every time we turn around the plants have doubled in size. But you won't hear us complain about this. We were quite ecstatic to find infantile watermelons, flower buds on the bush beans, and baby okra poking through. Unfortunately many of our corn plants have decided to produce tassels prematurely. We have yet to decide what to do about this problem. We may need to remove the tassels to encourage the corn to continue to reach for the sky. The small tree frogs are still inhabiting our pineapple plants. The kids are always extremely excited to see them during their weekly garden lesson. This week and last week we were focusing on observations for our lesson. Observations made about the garden included soft green polka dotted watermelon leaves, gourd leaves that smelled like "spicy hot dogs", stinky compost, wet dirt, quiet wind in the trees, and carrots that tasted like strawberries (seriously). Today we focused on watering and weeding. The sedge is finding it harder to poke through the wood chips we spread, but some sedge is persistent. We planted some more rosemary in the herb garden (the previously planted rosemary never took). We also planted dill in the "nest" bed. The nest now has garlic, Mrs. Robinson's class' radishes, nasturtiums, and dill (that I am aware of). Tomorrow is our last day in the garden before our Fall break officially starts. It will prove to be a fun, relaxed day.

nine weather, nice plants = happy people

It was a very pleasant Wednesday in the garden. After these past couple of colder days the weather is now perfect perfect perfect, so perfect its worth saying three times! Although we have been wearing our winter jackets recently, the plants know better than us, and have thrived through the cold front. If one were to go just a week without visiting the garden they would be surprised with the extreme change that it goes through in such a short period of time! The watermelon has completely embraced its new wrap-around trellis and the garlic is shooting up wonderfully. These young shoots are one of my favorite plants to get the kids to smell as they can sometimes guess whats growing beneath. Today the crew played with worms… harvesting the poo and scattering it around the Native Garden. As always in events such as these, its nice to think about the plant in attention. How exciting it must be to receive such a nutritious treat! After a good watering and a night spent taking in the worm’s gifts, the Native Garden should be a happy community of corn and squash. Tomorrow should be just as gorgeous. Florida’s fall has proven to be the perfect season for growing lovelies and the happiness of the plants is contagious. We do need to pay special attention to the aloe however. It just has not found its way in the Peace Patch yet. I do still have hope though, we should all make sure and send our love to our healing friend. Peace for now, I hope everyone has a happy Thursday and Friday and then lets that happiness explode into their fall break!

Chilly Mornings in the Schoolyard

Today was the second morning in a row of chilly gardening mornings. Granted, Florida chilly doesn't even come close to Northern chilly, but we of thin blood bundled up greatly before trekking out to do our work. Since I go out to the Peace Patch both Monday and Tuesday mornings, I was very happy that this morning turned out to be a lot warmer than yesterdays; half way through I was able to take off one of my shirt layers! Despite this aversion to cold, or perhaps because of it, we kept very busy in the garden, mostly with weeding. We were able to weed the Three Sister garden, some of the beds, and the back part of the trench where the marigolds and sunflowers have recently sprouted. Other than weeding we dug up the parts of the Butterfly Garden that were full of weeds and replanted flower seeds that we hope will grow. We planted new seeds as well as some of the seeds we used for the Butterfly Garden last semester. We also transplanted a volunteering tomato that was growing in the Amaranth to the tomato bed. And finally, once it had warmed up a bit, we gave the garden a little watering to quench it's thirst. Unfortunately our shift hasn't seen any children yet, but we can't wait to show them all the new growth once we do!

On A Clear Day

Today was a beautiful day in the garden. We were greeted by two new portables in the field, and although they are not very aesthetically pleasing, they will be great for the school and the kids. I’m actually pleased to get more kids out in the vicinity of the garden – hopefully they will see it and get as excited about it as we are.

The weather today was gorgeous, the cool blue of the clear sky mimicking the last of the cold front from this weekend. And not only was the weather perfect, but we had a wonderful group of second-graders come out for our observation lesson. In the community circle we talked about our sense of hearing, and played a game to get them to start thinking about the garden in terms of their senses. We had them sit down, close their eyes, and quietly listen to the sounds around them. They were to count how many sounds they heard around them. Though toward the end they got distracted by the presence of a frog (probably a stray from the pineapples), I was surprised as to how insightful some of their answers were. We then divided them into groups and talked to each of them about how to observe like scientists, and took them to different beds to observe using a different sense each time. The kids in my group were great – very attentive and curious, and they seemed happy to be there. All the kids seemed to enjoy it quite a bit, and they were able to answer our questions quite well.

After our first group of kids we spent the rest of our time watering and weeding, since we didn’t have a second group of kids come out. For a little while we spent time spreading out some of the radishes and planting the eggplant that was in starter pots, but most of the time we were weeding. Though it feels like we weed more than anything else in the garden, I’ve noticed that when we weed, we have an opportunity to talk to each other more than we usually do. Its one of those nice things about being with a group of people that is working towards a common goal – during the downtime, we find commonalities that allow us to come together and work together in a positive way. So, maybe weeding isn’t that bad after all.

Serenity

The garden was a very quiet place today. Due to teacher’s work day school was out. The lack of small feet shuffling in the corridors or songs carrying from the playground cursed the gardened into a simple hush today. Everything was bright green and growing steadily in the silence but without children the school felt surreal. We spent some time surveying the growth and took a moment to stand back to truly appreciate how far the garden has come in these first few weeks of school. The colors in the beds felt amplified to me due to the lack of movement around us. My eyes carried from bed to bed assessing each plant and its counterparts who have become part of who I am and what I believe it. But then I found myself contemplating if it was the garden has become part of me or if it is I who has become part of them. After contemplating the interesting concept of belongings I realize everything belongs as it is and nothing truly ever belongs to an individual. We may work in the garden but it too works for us by growing and blooming, and along the same lines we belong to the team who creates and nurtures the garden but really the truth is we belong in the garden and in turn the garden belongs with us. I had a beautiful moment of true serenity surveying the garden after a peaceful afternoon rain shower. I felt proud and part of something more important than I had anticipated. Finally I came to the realization that the garden is as much a teaching tool as it is an escape. And it has certainly become an escape for me to reflect on my thoughts and life.

Another wonderful Thursday in the garden...

It was another beautiful day in the garden! As the days get shorter and the air cools down a little, it gets more and more enjoyable.

Everything is growing like crazy. The watermelon plant has reached epic proportions and has thankfully been restrained by a trellis so it has not taken over the garden (yet). The beans are growing so fast they look completely different every time I come over. We thinned them out some today, to give them a little more breathing room, but we will probably have to do it again. There are still tiny frogs in the pineapple plants. They are really cute. Although a few of the kids screamed, most of them are super excited when I tell them to look in between the leaves of the pineapple and they see the frogs.

The kids today were adorable as usual. We practiced using our five senses to make observations about the garden. They liked comparing the different textures of the leaves and smelling the soil the best. We gave them all little pieces of carrot to taste while we were in the community circle. Some of them were really excited, and some less so, about the prospect of eating a carrot. One kid, after biting into it said, “I don’t like carrots, but this tastes good.”

We shall convert them all into vegetable lovers yet! Happy gardening!

The Garden Mantra

Water and weed. Water and Weed. Water and Weed. Water and weed.

As we continue quenching the perpetual thirst of the parched plants, and uprooting the seemingly immortal, stubborn grasses from their prohibited squatting of the beds and pathways, we are all acting in obedience to the garden mantra which is engrained into our karma yoga ( the duties of daily life which are devoted to a greater good/ community)a.k.a wonderful work. So the day began with such, the usual routine of saturating everything in the garden heavily, and removing intruers from in and around the beds. We managed to finish weeding the center pathway, the beds, the right side of the sunflower trench, and even a little of the top trench. The aloe’s dwelling place was also fully weeded and the population increased, with the welcoming of 4 new, healthy green aloe plants. Hopefully these fresh, vibrant aloe plants will prove themselves as positive role models and set an example of what the other aloe plants should aspire to live up to. Although a few of the original, more fragile looking aloe transplants do appear to be letting out a few new, young shoots.

The cafeteria kitchen provided us with several bags of old, rotten food, which they saved for us as a helpful addition to our compost piles, which were graciously accepted and immediatley poured into a deep hole in the of both piles and thoroughly covered.

When the children came out to join us in the garden, we practiced making observations, utilizing all of our senses as we moved through various parts of the garden. We smelled the delicious odors of decomposition in the compost heaps. We felt the textures of different leaves, learning about how gourds have rough, sort of spiky-like leaves and how pepper leaves are a little bumpy, but mostly smooth and how pineapple leaves are very smooth until you stick your finger at the very tip and get pricked by its nasty point. We saw how tall the corn and how much the watermelon have grown, and how fast all has changed, in only a week’s passing! We talked about how things in the garden taste- how certain peppers are really spicy and how watermelons are sweet, but how corn is sometimes sweet, too. We tried to hear how things were growing in the garden, but really only heard the sounds of laughter from people enjoying themselves in the garden. One could assume that joy is a most crucial song for a garden, too.
And so go all souls within the garden realm singing in silence the eternal mantra:

Water and weed and smile. Water and weed and smile. Water and weed and smile. Water and weed and smile.

To Tame the Beast!

Today was an extremely productive day! While we did not have children come out today, we set to work on the daunting task of curving the greedy watermelon away from the sweet potatoes and in its rightful bed. We took a few minutes to come up with ideas of putting some sort of fencing around the bed to make the watermelon go "up and over" using resources we already had. We decided to use the red trellises that were donated to us last year at the corners of the bed for posts, and to use the other trellises that had unfortunately broke during the horrible storm last semester as fencing. The trellis pieces fit perfectly across the short ends of the bed, but for the longer sides we had to be a little innovative by screwing the pieces into each other and then screwing all the pieces on one side into a middle piece for stability. We then secured everything together using twine and fishing wire. It was an awesome team effort and we had a ton of fun while doing it! All I can think of now as I look back on the memory is "With our power's combined, we are Captain Planet!" And I certainly feel like a hero, too!

Even with that exhausting task, we managed to give the garden a very very thorough watering. We turned the compost and watered it, as well. Lastly, we also made a discovery! In the cucumber bed...there might be a zucchini and pumpkin plant mixed in with the cukes. Woops! But at least they're in a similar family, and vegetables are vegetables no matter where they're planted. And now I only wonder if the kids will be able to tell the difference between the leaves when we have them come out...

Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience. --Ralph Waldo Emerson

Arriving bright and early on this lovely Monday morning, we found that our hard work and patience has paid off. Nearly every plant in the garden is thriving! It's quite refreshing to return to the garden after the weekend to behold the fruits of our labor. Some of the delicate pumpkin seedlings were a little wilted because of lack of watering this weekend, but everything else has grown visibly. First of all, the watermelon is spreading everywhere, creeping across the pathway and into neighboring beds. There might need to be some brainstorming on how to deal with its growth. The stalks on several of the corn are thick and sturdy, and marigolds were spotted sprouting next to the sunflowers in the trench. The cucumbers are looking fantastic and there are so many peas, we're going to have to start building them trellises. A beautiful cosmos flower has bloomed, and the aloe is looking better now that its roots have have dried out and had time to acclimate to new sandy soil. We had to say goodbye to the rosemary though, it has become part of our compost. Also, the base of one of the gourds on the fence is infested with ants that are eating its leaves. We'll have to keep an eye on it, and Amy suggested we sprinkle it with baking powder.

The morning shift split tasks and got a lot done. We watered thoroughly, weeded in the beds, and put some horse manure and water on the compost piles. Alex planted nasturtiums in the funky shaped bed as well as in the herb bed. Amy discovered calendula seeds in the shed and planted some in the butterfly garden. Donnelle sorted worm poop while Jess pruned the gourd and weeded. We collected some trash, swept the shed, and discovered some frogs and lizards hanging out in the pineapple. Unfortunately no class came out, although we had watering cans filled and ready for them! It's difficult to schedule garden time around the students' busy schedules. Waiting can only make their arrival that much better! The afternoon shift watered more, as the heat of the sun has not diminished whatsoever since the start of October. They also spread out more mulch and had a class of 1st graders come out. The class was out for the first time so an introduction to the garden and ice breaking activity were the highlights of their visit. An added bonus was a rain dance, which the kids thoroughly enjoyed. All in all, it was a fabulous start to another week. I believe we should heed Emerson's advice and be patient, as all good things take time, and our plants need time and love to grow.

Friday, October 9th, 2009

At one o'clock, we felt ready, and at 1:01-officially sweaty. One hundred degrees of heat provided a bit of a hump, but we hit the garden with hop, skip and jump.

With beads on our brow, hula hoop in

hand, we circled up and all held hands.

The children laughed as we squeezed through the loop,

With smiles and zeal, a well=behaved group.

Split into groups, and the magic begins-a well rounded tour punctuated with grins.

The garden holds treasures and a wonderful secret,

But hands and knees are in order if one wishes to peep it.

Baby frogs seek refuge in the pineapple plants,

And swim happily in new, leaf-formed pools if you give them the chance.

The marigolds have poked through the earth, tiny and green,

In the shadows of the new sunflowers displaying full dicot sheen.

The students marvel at the beans growing fast, crinkle noses at compost,

never want to be last.

They tug and they point and inundate with queries,

A set of actions that

could leave one quite weary.

But at the end of their class, when they come and embrace us,

They all melt away (the problems that face us).

Sedge grass, heat and drought are at times adversaries,

But without their input, we'd be nary as wary.

The garden is beautiful, we all love to be part.

It's a feeling one gets, can't be put on a chart.

Thanks for keeping tuned in, we love to share.

And it's nice to know that so many care.

Until next time, pray for rain,

It'll help balance out all this great solar gain.

Weeding, Watering and Waiting...

We arrived at the garden just as the early morning sun was warming the ground. The soil was still moist and the leaves of all the garden plants were dripping with dew. As always, the garden looks even more beautiful with each visit. Everyone’s hard work and devotion is evident through the health and happiness of the garden fruits, herbs, and veggies. The trench is now filled with tiny little aspiring sunflowers that will soon outline the entire peace patch perimeter. It is amazing to think about how much the garden has changed over just a few short weeks. With pineapple plants standing tall, watermelon vines stretching out wide, and a fresh layer of mulch on ground, the garden is hardly recognizable compared to how it looked at the end of the summer.
Last Year, Kaylee built a very nice sign for the garden that spells out the word peace with recycled pieces of trellis posts. We repaired the broken pieces and placed the sign at the end of the garden near the three-sisters. It looks great!

The new aloe garden looks great, and the aloe itself seems to be regaining some strength and color after its initial traumatic transplanting experience into “the nest”. Hopefully these plants will return to health in their new sandy, spacious home. We hoped that our pre-schoolers would be able to give these plants some positive energy to help them on their way to recovery. Unfortunately, the children were not able to come out today, so the aloe plants will just have to hang in there without the TLC from the youngsters.
Without the company and inquisitive minds of the kids, we were left to our usual tasks of weeding and watering. Although these seemingly tedious efforts do not achieve results as visible and immediate as the peas or nasturtiums popping up out of the beds, they are slowly and definitively paying off and further preparing the garden for when our little buddies will come out and learn!

Fun Education

Yet again, it was an incredible day at the edible school garden. In the early parts of the morning we managed to hang the official “edible peace patch garden” sign, which can be seen pictured in a previous blog. It felt as if we were raising our own little flag when that sign was tied about the fence for the very first time this year. Personally, it acted as a reminder to me that our hard work is going towards a really good cause.
As the two of us were putting up the sign, the others had to transplant some aloe plants that were struggling. The group moved them from the front of the garden to the back of the garden because we thought the soil was better fitted for the plant over there. Below is a picture of the spot where the aloe was previously planted, and is now removed. We are pretty confident that they will be able to successfully rebound from there current state in a short amount of time.
After watering some plants, we had the wonderful privilege of teaching a class of third graders. As we led the children around in the garden it was nice to see them taking an interest to everything. What’s this?! What’s that?! Indeed, these little ones were curious and eager to learn. To start off the learning session, we all formed a circle and had the students give us their name and the name of their favorite vegetable. It was a nice icebreaker to make the students feel comfortable for the rest of lesson. Concepts, such as the elements needed to grow a piece of vegetation (soil, sun, water, and love) and decomposition were introduced. Overall, the third graders that came today had a fun time learning some very valuable lessons. So, we can consider this a successful day!

Froggy Friends in the Peace Patch!

The Garden was full of life this morning, the watermelon is laying claim to its corner of the Patch. It decided to explore and the bed couldn't contain it; with two budding fruits on the vine, rightfully so!

It felt like a typical Florida spring at nine am humid, hot, and lively. The watermelons, yams, and passionflower vines all seem to be soaking up the heat and expressing their delightfulness with bursting flowers. The wildflowers are starting to sprout in the front bed as well, I'm betting a flower within the week! They almost seemed defeated when only a few succeeded but Mother Nature prevailed and now a carpet of green dots splatters the canvas.

We added 6 sprouted garlic to the horseshoe herb garden located at the foot of the patch; they complement the rosemary, mint, and the nasturtiums which popped up over the weekend. The aloe doesn't look too good unfortunately; it may have been a little over-watered during transplant. They should dry out and be back to normal after a few days of sunshine.

Due to a scheduling conflict our class couldn't come out today, they went on a field trip yesterday and today's schedule conflicted with art period. They should be coming out next week; it would have been great for them to see the little seedlings with their first leaves.

The garden was full of biodiversity this morning, from a frog on the okra plant to the countless ones taking shelter from the heat in the pineapple plants. There should be ladybugs, bees, and butterflies soon and once the marigolds bloom we won't have to worry as much about pests.

The school used this Tuesday morning to get the kids outside by testing the fire alarm. It was great except for the blaring noise. We got to see some familiar faces from last year. They were all really excited about starting the garden back up and the worm excrement "fertilizer" sitting in our bucket waiting to be spread. The school will be buzzing with talk of the garden this week, maybe that will incite some more teachers to come out. It has been a very busy year thus far and things are just starting to settle down and smooth out.

What a garden needs to grow!

Today was a very fun and productive day in the garden! The garden received a lot of TLC in the form of weeding, watering and the continuations of mulching. We also had the chance to thoroughly weed around and in most beds. We moved aside the rapidly growing watermelon and sweet potato plants and cleaned out sedge which was growing in disguise among the leaves. The tomatoes were transplanted from their pot into the bed. The afternoon shift had two classes come out to the garden for the first time this year. First there was a second grade class followed by a shy first grade class. All of the students we happy to be out in the sunlight and back in the garden; many of them remembered a great deal about the garden from last year and showed the new students all the newly sprouted plants. First we played name games, followed by group tours of the garden with highlights being the new pineapple plants and rock collection. Most of the kids collected rocks as they walked around and placed them around the butterfly garden. After tours we filled our watering cans and in pairs the students thoroughly drenched the beds. Then after brief goodbyes we were left standing in the garden which was empty for the first time since we arrived.
We discussed shortly and then divided up to accomplish the most possible. We planted more green peppers and as I mentioned transplanted the tomatoes into their permanent home. We turned the compost, which now more compact than ever thanks to many helpful hands. The newly planted aloe is looking a bit ill but is under the watchful eye of many skilled students and caretakers. Each day the garden grows bigger and bigger, bit by bit and as its caretakers I feel like we grow with it.

New Growth on the Horizon

Friday morning was a crisp and clear beginning of a wonderfully quiet day at the garden. We began by contemplating where to start, checking the Log Book and deciding how long each task would take. We set off to fulfill the first task of filling in the rest of the trench so we could finally plant the sunflower and marigold seeds. We got these tiny seeds in very easily and doused them with water. As we started to water the ever scorched new growth I found the beauty of newly sprouted flowers in the watermelon. What I found to be utmost amazing was the fact that the watermelon plant had been pulled out of the ground twice and is now flourishing and covering almost the entire bed spilling out into walkways. Such a beautiful sight!

Sprouts were also popping up everywhere else, which is very exciting and satisfying all at the same time. All our work can be seen by us, and the kids can begin to learn from these growths. For the rest of the shift we weeded. The grass is still relentless and tiring but it must be pulled and I find a sense of satisfaction as I pull up numerous root bulbs all at one time. Ha! Triumph! We had no surprise class of 25 or so children on Friday so the day was a day of peaceful reflection and discussion.

Operation Sunflower Complete

The brisk temperature was a refreshing change from the tropical weather that normally greets our arrival at the garden; I almost forgot what 70 degrees felt like! Luckily, this mild change hasn't and most likely will not hinder the growth of any of our little seedlings. Everything seems to be quietly emerging from their beds; the little green shoots are peeking out eager for a touch of sun. I'm sure that these seedlings will create an explosion of green throughout the garden over the weekend; as they say a watched pot never boils!

Thursday brought about completion of our trench initiative, we mixed our donated soil from Lowes, horse manure, and sand to create the most gorgeous mix of organic matter. There is no doubt in my mind that this batch of sunflowers will tower over everyone’s heads like giant lanterns illuminating the Edible Peace Patch. The morning shift filled in half the trench and the Afternoon shift finished the job.

The massive pineapple plants seem to be establishing themselves fairly well after dealing with the shock of “transplantation”. They seemed a little feeble earlier in the week but after being reinforced with stakes and finally feeling at home in the garden, the plants seem to be adapting well. The Fire bush from last season is also thriving in the garden, budding and flowering in its serene little niche next to the gourd.

We are all looking forward to the promising season to come; the garden is bursting with potential! Almost all of our seeds are in the ground or establishing themselves in our transplant trays, the beds will be full soon enough!