The Magic of the Garden

“No two gardens are the same. No two days are the same in one garden.” ~Hugh Johnson


It seems like every time I return to the Edible Peace Patch something new appears as if it were magic. It is amazing to actually see all the hard work that we put into the garden. I was very excited to see the radishes we planted such a short time ago have started to show their magenta colored bulb from underneath the soil. It brings a sense of pride to have planted them.

The beets that were planted on the other half of the bed have begun to sprout up. They were looking a little crowded so we decided to thin them out to give the beets room for their roots. The beets that we pulled out had the most magnificent magenta color to their stems; it was similar to the radish bulb color but way more vibrant.

The cucumber’s that we recently planted in mounds were also getting bigger and were looking a little crowded. We pulled some of the cumbers out very carefully so that we could try to transplant a few in another bed. I was surprised to find that the tiny little cucumber sprouts already smell like cucumber. Also, most of the seeds were still hanging on to the roots, which gave us hope that they could perhaps survive being relocated to a new bed.

Another magical presence to the garden was found in the okra bed. One of the okra had a beautiful flower that blossomed. I had no idea that okra had flowers.

When it was time for the kindergarteners to arrive, we were very prepared after doing the lesson on Monday. After the kids had planted their bean seeds in the cup they wanted to check out the Edible Peace Patch. They wanted to water the plants in the beds with the leftover water from the beans they planted in their cups. We told them to bring the bean seeds that they planted two weeks from now so we can see if they have grown. I am really enjoying working with the kids. They are enthusiastic to be learning outside and they are starting to recognize the garden as their own.

Julia Melton