Planting a Seed

“When, just as the soil tarnishes with weed,

The sturdy seedling with arched body comes
Shouldering its way and shedding the earth crumbs.”

-Robert Frost


Today was another peaceful morning at the garden. We began by examining some of the beds. The larger of the two tomatoes in the first bed is getting even bigger. Today was the first time I have notice the tomato touching the line that weaves above it that is used for added stability.

The Radishes we planted about a week and a half ago are growing very fast. One of my group members, Noah, decided it was a good idea to thin the radishes out by taking some of them out. Then they transplanted the ones they took out in the other half of the bed. We are curious to see if the ones we transplanted will survive.

We remembered the group of kids that came out last week on Wednesday mentioned how much they loved carrots and wanted to plant them. We decided to designate the bed between the tomatoes and sweet potatoes as the carrot bed. We prepared the bed so that the kids could plant the seeds at the end of their lesson. We dug six rows and made small holes for the seeds about three inches apart.

When the kindergarten class came out with smiling faces, we did our introduction and got into smaller groups to do the assessment. The first thing the kids in my group asked was, “Are there any carrots?” We decided that was a good time to let all the kids plant the seeds in the carrot bed. Each hole got about two to three seeds. This was a little difficult because the carrot seeds are very small. After the seeds were planted, we told them to cover the holes with the soil. Then I guided the kids in my group around the garden and told them what was in each bed. For the empty beds, I asked them what they would like to see growing there in the future.

Before we knew it was time for the class to go to lunch. They gave us all hugs and smiles and I told them that we would see them next week. There is so much gratification in working with children in the environment. Getting to share the Edible peace patch with younger children is a neat opportunity.

Julia Melton