Strawberry Fields Forever

Garden Clubs may be over for the season, and my time at DNDA may be coming to a close, but the gardens are looking great. All the work the kids did planting seeds, watering, caring for seedlings, making sure there were plenty of worms in the soil, and hunting for slugs has really paid off. Enjoy these pics I took today, starting with a few of the strawberry patch at Croft Place that a resident and I created a few months ago. The plants have been fruiting for some time now and the berries are starting to ripen. Yum!







Last year residents planted raspberries along the fence by the garden. Last month we added some soil to the area and tended the vines. I checked on them yesterday and they've begun to fruit as well!





In addition to the abundant berries, 8 of the 10 beds are full of veggies, almost all of which the kids planted during the Garden Club season. One of the residents has been harvesting chard and spinach for salads, and she and another resident already harvested the garlic that had been growing throughout the winter.



A tomato plant at Croft Place starting to flower. This is one of many that the kids started in pots indoors and later transplanted.



A pepper plant at Croft Place that the kids started indoors beginning to get some delicious looking fruit.



A few more tomato plants growing in the gardens at Croft Place.



An entire plot at Croft Place dedicated to peas.



Zucchini! Croft Place will be flooded with zucchinis when these four plants get big and begin to fruit.



Broccoli and Cauliflower galore!



At One Community Commons, many people have tried the lettuce the kids planted and marveled at the freshness and good taste. Some seemed even more excited and bewildered than the kids.



Tomatoes and sunflowers growing in the container at One Community Commons.