Edible School Garden
February 2024 Update:
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The garden beds on the main yard are doing well and continue to thrive. During lunch students helped to cull some of the flowers so that the vegetables can grow without competition. Companion planting is critical to help reduce the amount of pests that cam destroy crops, but too much of a good thing leads to competition of the natural resources our vegetables need to thrive - Sun, Water, and Nutrients from the soil!
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In picture below, see our raised bed with carrots. The yellow flowers are calendula. Students helped to collect the flowers, which we will dry. In the future we can use these to make tea and a moisturizing salve.
With the calendula flowers gone, the carrots can finally start to thrive. If they don't survive, and are too stringy or weak, we will pull them add radishes which are quick growing.
During a recent lunch period, we talked about parts of a plant, including the root system.
The school lunch included goldenberries, also called Aguamanto, so we discussed the parts of plants that produce fruit and seeds.
We culled nasturtiums from the kale garden bed. Nasturtium leaves are hydrophobic, so we called the leaves "nature's raincoat". We also used them as a natural water cup.
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Many students remembered eating rainbow chard last year with lemon vinaigrette and have been asking when we can do that again. We should have enough swiss chard for tasting before spring break!
We sowed native California poppy seeds in the area across from the painted rock garden near the main office.
