K-3 Garden Spring 2012

K-3 Garden Spring 2012
A cleaned out garden bed.

Gardeners Need Patience-A Brussels Sprouts Experiment

Ms. Collins really loves Brussels sprouts, especially cooked in foil on the grill with a little olive oil. She planted some last fall, and she was very excited and hopeful.  The sprouts spent the winter growing in their own cozy greenhouses. You can see precipitation forming inside the glass. When she took off the greenhouse coverings, she could spot tiny knobs growing on the bottom of the stalks which were the beginnings of the round sprouts. When fully grown, the sprouts would be about the size of golfballs, but something happened. The plants grew taller and pretty yellow flowers bloomed on top. Unfortunately, this meant that the plants had "gone to seed" and the sprouts stopped developing. The end of this garden story is not a happy one, but Ms. Collins learned something all gardeners need to know: IF AT FIRST YOU DON'T SUCCEED, TRY, TRY AGAIN. She will be researching for tips to help with next year's crop!                     



Sprouts under glass

Sprouts in mid-April 

            


Undersized but cute!
 
 

How Many People Have Been Inspired to Garden at Home?

Many Pingry folks of all ages have been inspired to start their own patches of garden happiness at home as a result of the knowledge gained in their classes and work teams. Mr. Corvino added many flowering plants and bushes to his backyard last summer and raised crops of tomatoes and basil, ingredients for pizza that he will regrow this planting season.We thought it would be fun to do a survey to find out how many families and faculty members have been getting their hands dirty in hopes of a harvest payoff or for the incentive of providing more color and beauty in their lives. Below is one first grader who is leading the action at her own home because this is a new venture for her family! Notice the companion plant marigolds ready to lend their bright color and guardian function.

This first grade gardener has all her equipment and materials ready to beautify her home!















Proud Pingry siblings working in their community garden

Another proud first grade gardener!



Father and son make a good team for planting window boxes!
  

A proud gardener ready to plant




A first grade gardener tends to his summer crops!
  


The Magic of Community-The New Cycle of Planting-2012

Kindergarten students line up in their work teams.
On April 12 the Short Hills Garden was alive with magic and laughter! The eagerness of the students was palpable as many different classes and age groups worked together and pooled their expertise to begin the new cycle of planting the empty garden beds. First, second, and third graders worked side by side, with the older students taking leadership roles. The children put into practice the lessons of cooperation and collaboration learned in other settings, as they worked to achieve a common goal-the planting of kitchen crops that will be enjoyed by the entire Short Hills community.




First graders making decisions about plant placement


Second grade workers prepare the ground for border stones
 


Just as the students were introduced to the power of cooperative tasks, they also learned  about "companion plants," pairings of crops that provide benefits to each other. Below are some quotes from first graders about these benefits:

"Companion plants are put together sometimes so the taste will be better and sometimes to keep bugs away."

"Marigolds are guards to protect the plants. Animals don't like the smell of marigolds."

"Ladybugs can be guards too to keep away the aphids."

"You have to plant guard plants in the corners of the beds."

LIST OF COMPANION PLANTS IN THE SH GARDEN

carrots+sage(deters carrot fly and cabbage moth)
marigolds +lettuce
marigolds+beets
strawberries+lettuce   
onions+peppers
beets+onions
potatoes+basil
celery+spinach
peppers+basil

Speaking of plants that go well together leads to a big announcement! Mr. Corvino (and some companions) officially planted A PIZZA GARDEN on April 19 with garlic, onions, oregano, basil, parsley, carrots, and some varieties of lettuce for a nice Italian salad!

The teachers look happy thinking about the yummy pizza to come!


Mr. Corvino demonstrates how to plant garlic.




Members of the Pingry community (of all ages) enjoyed a productive day sharing tasks and decisions. Some excerpts from second grade journal writing below reflect the power of the experience:

"It was a wonderful day in the garden. It was peaceful, calm, and quiet, and it was so much fun. My friends worked so hard."

"What I did in the garden was first I took the rocks and sticks out of the ground, then flipped the soil, then put flowers down and planted one, then watered the garden."

"It was superhard to take out all the rocks, leaves, weeds, and grass. I helped Sarah get a humongous rock. After that we planted flowers of all kinds. We got some help from other groups. I'm proud of all our hard work."
Literacy and library lovers laughing over lettuce!

SPRING 2012-A NEW GARDEN SEASON HAS BEGUN!







 It is April and New Jersey is wearing its soft spring colors. The pink magnolias and cherry trees, yellow forsythia and daffodils, and the green fuzz of budding leaves make our hearts glad. The Short Hills students are getting ready for a new round of planting. Ms. Smith-Willis spent much of her Spring Break time preparing the garden beds with the proper mixture of soil.  Teachers are reviewing the rules that show respect for nature and keep the garden special and calm. Some grades are forming working teams. The third graders are figuring out the grids in class that will ensure the proper spacing for the planting of cold weather spring crops.  




Pingry's Garden Rules are posted right by the door out to the garden.








2-Dr Reviews Rules from Last Year
Some books from our garden collection




Teachers are busy reading garden books to their classes.  Second graders enjoy the book The Ugly Vegetables by Grace Lin (http://www.gracelin.com/.) The book blends the joy of a garden with a wonderful theme of cultural pride and sharing. There is even a recipe included for soup using Chinese vegetables!

Ms.Collins checks out the racket! What's going on out there?

Ms.Collins checks out the racket! What's going on out there?

Reading the chore list...

Reading the chore list...
Checking out the chores before heading out to the garden to get a few things done.

Hard at work!

Hard at work!

Filling the wheel barrow

Filling the wheel barrow

Wonderful, nutritious soil!

Wonderful, nutritious soil!

Aerating soil

Aerating soil

Deep, dark, rich soil!

Deep, dark, rich soil!

Checking out the veggie flats

Checking out the veggie flats

What are we growing here?

What are we growing here?

Watering the veggie flats

Watering the veggie flats

The woodchips finally arrived!

The woodchips finally arrived!

Spreading out the wood chips!

Spreading out the wood chips!

1SW has one last FROZEN work day in the garden!

1SW has one last FROZEN work day in the garden!
Brrrrr! It was cold, but we managed to get a little more raking, digging and fertilizing done.

Our teacher finally put down the camera for one minute... Smile!

Lots of teamwork by garden groups!

Rocks to cover an unsightly drain... soon to be the home of our beautiful bird feeder from a special elf!

There's lots of raking to do and we had fun doing it!


We all worked together and a lot got done!

2 and 3rd graders working together!


This is how you do it!

Mrs. Euwer demonstrates her garden technique in her snazzy garden boots!

More composting!

Shoveling is harder than you think!