Spring Garden Clubs - Week 4

Week 4 Garden Club meetings were a little shorter than normal, but that's okay because we accomplished a lot. At Croft and Centerwood, we had tomato and pepper seedlings that needed to be potted up. We got our hands dirty filling medium-sized pots with some healthy potting soil and moving the soil to create a good sized hole in the middle. We then talked about how to take care of the plants during this process, remembering to hold the seedlings by the leaves, not the stems. We gently pried each plant out of the small pots and placed them carefully in their new homes.

Because the kids are as young as 4 and 5, some seedlings were treated more gently than others, but all seem to have survived the trauma. At all three Garden Clubs, we made vegetable markers with craft sticks and permanent marker in order to keep track of what we plant where.





Because we missed one week at OCC, there was no need to pot up any of the seedlings as they have only just started sprouting. Instead, we took some time to observe the progress the seeds had made in just one short week. We marveled at the little green sprouts and talked about how all the parts of the plant-to-be had been contained within the little seeds. Part of the original plan was to water the seeds we planted outdoors as a group, but it had rained during the early afternoon, giving the seeds the water they needed.


The kids at OCC also got to do some extra art projects. The kids drew pictures of the seedlings that had sprouted, and made a greenhouse out of a shoe box and clear plastic wrap for the pots that had yet to sprout.

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Spring Garden Clubs - Week 3

For Week 3, the main objective was to plant some cold-season seeds outdoors. We spent a little time talking about why we would plant some seeds indoors but it's okay to plant other seeds outside at the same time. But mostly we got right to playing in the dirt!

The kids at Croft planted in four of the ten beds, sowing Spinach, Chard, Lettuce, Mesclun, and Onion. At Centerwood we planted Spinach, flowers, Cilantro, and Onion in the pots they had filled with soil in Week 1. We made sure to water the newly planted seeds, but also talked about how the rain would also help to water them.

Because Garden Club was cancelled at OCC for Week 2, we had a lot to do this week. In the short time we met, we needed to plant seeds both indoors and out. We filled newspaper pots and small plastic pots with seed starting mix and planted some Tomato, Pepper, Carrot, and Onion seeds. One of the adult residents stopped by to see what was happening and took some Tomato and Pepper seeds for her own purposes, which was exciting.

Before we moved outside, we drew a map of our circular container to plan where to put each vegetable and flower. We listed each of the plants we started indoors, as well as the seeds we were about to sow outside (Spinach, Chard, Peas, and Lettuce). We designated a spot on the garden map for each veggie, taking into account which plants need more sun. We then went out and planted accordingly.


All three Clubs ate a pre-made snack of sweet potato fries and made Potato People. Each kid got a Russet potato to decorate with pieces of fabric, pipe cleaners, string, and bean seeds. They had full control over their decor, and there was a wide variety of styles and characters. The glue took a little while to dry, so we had eyes falling off all over the place, but the pipe cleaners just stuck right into the potatoes!

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Spring Garden Clubs - Week 2

We had another week of Garden Clubs last week and the main goal was to start some seeds indoors. The kids at Croft and Centerwood got a chance to fill newspaper pots, egg cartons, and small plastic pots with seed starting mix. We planted Lettuce, Broccoli, Onion, Carrot, Tomato, and Pepper seeds and made labels by writing on tongue depressors to keep track of what we planted. We talked a little about why we grow seeds inside and about what the seeds will need in order to grow strong and healthy.




For the craft activity, we made seed paintings. The kids created a design on a piece of colored paper with glue and then dropped handfuls of colorful bean seeds onto the paper. After letting the paper dry, we tipped it over the bag and let the seeds run off. Where they had drawn with glue, the seeds stuck, making a picture. During the project, we ate our snack of yogurt with granola and a variety of edible seeds (pumpkin, sunflower, sesame, and flax) and sweetened it slightly with agave nectar.

Unfortunately, I came down with the flu by the end of the week and the kids at OCC missed out on Garden Club for the week. But, they'll make up for it in Week 3!

Thanks for reading!

Spring Garden Clubs - Weeks 1

Garden Clubs at 3 different properties have started up for the spring season . This is a chance for kids at Croft Place, Centerwood and One Community Commons (OCC) to have a productive after school activity one day a week and a positive association with the earth and healthy food. Each property is in a very different stage of gardening. Croft Place has 10 established raised beds. Centerwood will have a few small container gardens built soon, so in the meantime we'll be growing in planter pots. OCC has just started transforming an ornamental container into an edible garden space. Each property is also different in terms of the space available. For these reasons, each Garden Club is adapted slightly to cater to the space and to what can realistically be accomplished. However, each Garden Club typically consists of an outdoor garden activity, a snack, and an art/craft.



For Week 1, we talked about what makes up our garden, as well as established some rules for Garden Club. Due to the heavy rains, we nixed our outdoor activity idea at Croft, but the kids at Centerwood were able to fill planter pots with soil and had ample time to dig in the wet dirt for worms (as shown above)! The kids at OCC eagerly loosened the soil in their large container garden to prepare for planting.



We then painted large rocks while eating our snack of carrots and pita chips with homemade Tzatziki sauce. The kids helped with the final steps of making the sauce. The intent behind the rock painting craft was to paint the rocks as garden markers for particular veggies, but since we deal with such a wide age range, a good percentage of the rocks were simply covered in layers of paint. Some turned out amazing, like the strawberry at the top of this post. The kids always enjoy painting and I'm sure we'll find some way to incorporate their beautiful art into the gardens!

Thanks for reading!

Santa Teresita: Getting the Garden Started

On Monday evening, I spent just over an hour with a group of residents at Santa Teresita. I had met with them in January and found out that their main concern was how late of a start they got last year. The gardens were built last July, well into the growing season, and they wanted to make sure they were well prepared this season.

We had two main objectives to accomplish during our meeting.

The first was to prepare the soil in the garden beds so they can start planting outdoors as soon as possible. This consisted mainly of removing the dead vegetation that had been left during the winter and working in a little compost. (I forgot to bring the camera outside so I unfortunately did not take any pictures of this).



The second was to start some seeds indoors. We planted two types of lettuce, broccoli, and cauliflower that will be transplanted into the garden in early spring. We also started some tomato and three types of peppers that will spend the next three months growing inside the community room. I wish we could have started much more indoors, but with limited resources at my disposal we had to start just a few crops.



We talked about the process of germinating seeds and caring for the seedlings, and the residents all agreed to consistently check in on the situation. I will also be checking in occasionally to document the progress. We will meet again towards the end of March to direct-sow some cold-hardy crops in the garden (Green Onion, Arugula, Spinach, Chard, and Peas).