Garden season has ended. It's November. We are lucky thus far to have not be covered in a graceful blanket of winter white (I'm not complaining!). And it has been months since I have blogged. I have neglected to share the excitement of late summer and fall harvests. I have also neglected to take part in Halloween postings, post-harvest blunders, Farmer's Market season finales, and many other wonderful late season festivities.
The thing is, grad school has consumed much of my free time by wiping me of any and all spare energy that I once used for peaceful thinking. I have been left with little creative juices to spare.
Recap: The season was incredibly successful in our little community garden. We were overrun with cherry tomatoes, lemon cucumbers, and eggplant. All of which I opened my kitchen to with warm ovens! It was a fruitful experience (literally) and the B&GC and I benefited greatly. Most of the kids were able to see multiple stages of the garden and for their hard work, shared in the bountiful harvests. There were, however, a few things that did not do so well in our gardens. The corn was flattened by the wind at one point and never successfully recovered and from which, we saw very few ears, none of which I consumed. Pumpkins were non-existent. I was ever careful to order cute little white pumpkins that the kids would be able to share. We were graced with a few melons. I quickly learned that the mini watermelons we were growing were quick to expire. There was more than one occasion I bit into a juicy looking watermelon to realize it was actually far overripe and NOT refreshing!
Our season finale came in the form of a B&GC-themed scarecrow! The kids stuffed and filled a B&GC shirt and used spent corn stalks and sunflower heads to decorate the Iowa Arboretum for their fall festivities. It turned out spectacularly. I was quite proud to say my kids grew (some) of the scarecrow's stuffs. It was the most appropriate way I could think of to end the season. The kids saw the roundabout way gardens work, and had fun doing it.
Although I neglected to share in the festivities, it was incredibly rewarding to see another season through. I guess it's time to get out the seed catalogs again and make a cup of hot coco as we wait for the great white of winter, if you're so lucky.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Daylily do's
Has it been three months? In fact is has. I have been doing plenty of gardening and my fair share of nannying during my unintended absence. Really, I have. Today, however, I learned something very important that I couldn't resist sharing.
The wee ones and I were outside playing before lunch, you know, before it was so unbearably hot and we were so unbearably crabby to be outside. Little Miss decided to help the daylily out and do a little deadheading. The kids have always had a fascination with flowers, especially removing them from their natural location on the plant, but regardless, a fascination. For the most part little Miss was actually doing a good job deadheading, pulling off spent flowers and throwing them in the driveway. Little Mister was running around cleaning his car with a special car cleaning potion I whipped up in the kitchen sink (strangely has the same composition as water!) but stopped to see what we were looking at over by the daylily. I showed him that we can pull out the old, dried up flower stems and this was the most magical discovery!
Suddenly we had wood to build a jail (for me, naturally), drum sticks, things to be sprayed by our special car cleaner, and weapons to jab each other with (joy). For the remainder of our play time, before we were all so hungry we couldn't stand it, those 'things' entertained all three of us.
For kids who live where nature consists of a daylily in the front yard, playtime can still be fun and exciting. Daylilies can be an adventure! Finding out that plants serve a dual purpose when you're three is an amazing discovery and one not to be taken lightly. Our pile of 'things' will probably dissipate and not be there the next time I come back, but the curiosity will still be there. Knowing I can be there to egg on that curiosity will leave me fulfilled and will leave them with tools for future exploration.
The wee ones and I were outside playing before lunch, you know, before it was so unbearably hot and we were so unbearably crabby to be outside. Little Miss decided to help the daylily out and do a little deadheading. The kids have always had a fascination with flowers, especially removing them from their natural location on the plant, but regardless, a fascination. For the most part little Miss was actually doing a good job deadheading, pulling off spent flowers and throwing them in the driveway. Little Mister was running around cleaning his car with a special car cleaning potion I whipped up in the kitchen sink (strangely has the same composition as water!) but stopped to see what we were looking at over by the daylily. I showed him that we can pull out the old, dried up flower stems and this was the most magical discovery!
Suddenly we had wood to build a jail (for me, naturally), drum sticks, things to be sprayed by our special car cleaner, and weapons to jab each other with (joy). For the remainder of our play time, before we were all so hungry we couldn't stand it, those 'things' entertained all three of us.
For kids who live where nature consists of a daylily in the front yard, playtime can still be fun and exciting. Daylilies can be an adventure! Finding out that plants serve a dual purpose when you're three is an amazing discovery and one not to be taken lightly. Our pile of 'things' will probably dissipate and not be there the next time I come back, but the curiosity will still be there. Knowing I can be there to egg on that curiosity will leave me fulfilled and will leave them with tools for future exploration.
Friday, April 16, 2010
Planting Season
It must be spring.... time is flying!
It's that time of year, friends, SPRING. Seed planing, starting lawn mowers, walks to the park. It's spring.
I spent Monday with my B&G Club class planting the seeds they ordered a few weeks back. It was crazy, again, but so fun. There were kids and seeds and soil everywhere. But I think everything went into its own flat complete with label on our designated bench. Now the anticipation for next Monday has set in. It has been a beautiful week, I can only imagine how many babies we will see. The best part is that I get to see the excitement on the kids' faces as they find out that the seeds they picked out and planted are actually growing. It is going to be magnificent.
But this doesn't have to happen only in a greenhouse. Get out your seeds and have your kids help! Next Thursday is Earth Day and I plan on bringing along my left over zinnia seeds for the little kiddos at work because the excitement and anticipation can happen at home ( at work if you nanny! )
Give the kids their own pot, round up a little soil, and spare seeds and let them go crazy. Let them get dirty, put in too many seeds, and get ready for the excitement. They will love it. And they will be so proud!
It's that time of year, friends, SPRING. Seed planing, starting lawn mowers, walks to the park. It's spring.
I spent Monday with my B&G Club class planting the seeds they ordered a few weeks back. It was crazy, again, but so fun. There were kids and seeds and soil everywhere. But I think everything went into its own flat complete with label on our designated bench. Now the anticipation for next Monday has set in. It has been a beautiful week, I can only imagine how many babies we will see. The best part is that I get to see the excitement on the kids' faces as they find out that the seeds they picked out and planted are actually growing. It is going to be magnificent.
But this doesn't have to happen only in a greenhouse. Get out your seeds and have your kids help! Next Thursday is Earth Day and I plan on bringing along my left over zinnia seeds for the little kiddos at work because the excitement and anticipation can happen at home ( at work if you nanny! )
Give the kids their own pot, round up a little soil, and spare seeds and let them go crazy. Let them get dirty, put in too many seeds, and get ready for the excitement. They will love it. And they will be so proud!
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Hit the trails!
Lace up those hiking shoes and grab your water bottle, we're going for a hike! Three of my friends and I hit our favorite park Tuesday afternoon. With such beautiful weather those hills were begging for attention and we couldn't decline. So we loaded up the car and took the short drive to Ledges State Park.
"What was there to see at this time of the year?" you ask? Lots of things! Just because the trees are still working on their buds and the grass isn't quite green doesn't mean there aren't things to see. We saw all kinds of spring ephemerals- Hepatica, Dicentra, Claytonia, Trillium. All great finds worthy of the workout we had!
It's never too early, or late, to get the kids outside. You'll enjoy it too! There are always things to see and explore. Look at the early spring flowers, go on a hunt for bugs (trust me, they're already out!), take a picnic lunch to the park. It doesn't have to be green and bursting at the seems to find flowers and explore the nearest park or your own back yard. In fact, about an hour ago I got back from the park with the kids I nanny and we talked about the flowers we saw along the way- daffodils- what color they were, how they were cool shaped. When we arrived at our park it was still barren, the little guy didn't understand where they flowers were so we had to talk about how flowers die in the winter under all that snow and the people who take car of the park would come back soon to plant more. Now we're on a mission to keep track of how long it takes before the flowers come back.
There doesn't have to be anything scientific or structured to go outside, just enjoy the fresh air and sunshine!
"What was there to see at this time of the year?" you ask? Lots of things! Just because the trees are still working on their buds and the grass isn't quite green doesn't mean there aren't things to see. We saw all kinds of spring ephemerals- Hepatica, Dicentra, Claytonia, Trillium. All great finds worthy of the workout we had!
It's never too early, or late, to get the kids outside. You'll enjoy it too! There are always things to see and explore. Look at the early spring flowers, go on a hunt for bugs (trust me, they're already out!), take a picnic lunch to the park. It doesn't have to be green and bursting at the seems to find flowers and explore the nearest park or your own back yard. In fact, about an hour ago I got back from the park with the kids I nanny and we talked about the flowers we saw along the way- daffodils- what color they were, how they were cool shaped. When we arrived at our park it was still barren, the little guy didn't understand where they flowers were so we had to talk about how flowers die in the winter under all that snow and the people who take car of the park would come back soon to plant more. Now we're on a mission to keep track of how long it takes before the flowers come back.
There doesn't have to be anything scientific or structured to go outside, just enjoy the fresh air and sunshine!
Monday, March 22, 2010
Busy Bees
As I drove along the interstate today I saw something I had never seen before, a semi truck full of bees. I knew that bee hives are transported around the country, probably at this time of the year, to places where bees don't overwinter (Iowa) because of the cold... but I had never witnessed such an event. It was one of those moments where I said out loud (and all alone) "Wow. I never knew. Interesting." And kept driving. As I passed the semi and saw the bees buzzing around their mobile home I thought about the life of a bee and how important they are and how easily overlooked they can be.
Last summer when I would take the wee ones I nanny to the park our first stop was always the marigold because they were buzzing with bees and beetles. It was the highlight of the trip every time. Bees and other insects are such great learning tools for kids because they seem to be naturally curious about the small creatures.
Insects are a whole lesson on their own. Legs, body parts, movement, food, there's so much to talk about. In the garden, insects can be used to teach pollination, food chains, life cycles, all of which come with uncanny facts that kids just eat up.
Did you know that in its lifetime a worker bee will produce 1/12 of a teaspoon of honey? Or, to make one pound of honey, a hive of worker bees have to fly 55,000 miles to tap 2 million flowers? And that one pound of honey is that average amount eaten by Americans in one year?
These facts can be concretely demonstrated to your children by showing them just how much honey 1/12 of a teaspoon is, or how much one pound is. Get them outside investigating bee movement and communication; have them watch for the pollen that collects on bee legs as they move from flower to flower. What does this do for the flowers? What would happen if there were no bees?
Teach the kids to be observers; teach them to appreciate insects and get rid of that innate fear of bees that so many people have. After all, they're just doing their job! And if I can hold a cockroach from the Iowa State Insect Zoo, you can give an afternoon to the bees :-)
BTW: the great bee facts came from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/bees/
Last summer when I would take the wee ones I nanny to the park our first stop was always the marigold because they were buzzing with bees and beetles. It was the highlight of the trip every time. Bees and other insects are such great learning tools for kids because they seem to be naturally curious about the small creatures.
Insects are a whole lesson on their own. Legs, body parts, movement, food, there's so much to talk about. In the garden, insects can be used to teach pollination, food chains, life cycles, all of which come with uncanny facts that kids just eat up.
Did you know that in its lifetime a worker bee will produce 1/12 of a teaspoon of honey? Or, to make one pound of honey, a hive of worker bees have to fly 55,000 miles to tap 2 million flowers? And that one pound of honey is that average amount eaten by Americans in one year?
These facts can be concretely demonstrated to your children by showing them just how much honey 1/12 of a teaspoon is, or how much one pound is. Get them outside investigating bee movement and communication; have them watch for the pollen that collects on bee legs as they move from flower to flower. What does this do for the flowers? What would happen if there were no bees?
Teach the kids to be observers; teach them to appreciate insects and get rid of that innate fear of bees that so many people have. After all, they're just doing their job! And if I can hold a cockroach from the Iowa State Insect Zoo, you can give an afternoon to the bees :-)
BTW: the great bee facts came from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/bees/
Friday, March 12, 2010
Seed frenzy
seeds seeds seeds
It's all I can think about! Not only have I been thinking about what seeds I should be getting for my patio garden, but I have seeds on the brain for my community garden project, and to top it all off, I read seed book after seed book to the kids I nanny!! My life is full of seeds. Kind of. They're there in theory, but I have no seeds very few seed packets in my possession.
So my question is, where are the best seed sources? I'm fully aware of potential sources, I do have a framed piece of paper that says I know enough about horticulture to deserve that. What I want to know are the favorites. Because I am by no means an expert. After all, this is the first time I've had my "own garden" since I lived at home.
My first choice will be Mom's seed drawer this weekend when I spend a couple of days at home. There is a good selection of left over seed packets from our home garden, not sure how old some of them are, but they all have been pretty viable in the past. It's free. Can't get any cheaper than that!
Whether you snag seeds from Mom, have a collection of your own, or just go out to your local garden center and purchase them, turn it into a family affair! Get the kiddies involved! I will be starting my community garden project in a couple of weeks with the Boys & Girls Club kids and I am letting THEM pick out their own seeds. Yes, this could be madness. But to me, that's the best part! Let them take the initiative to try something new. Let them experience different shapes and colors by looking at pictures in catalogues, on the internet, wherever... just let them do it! They will be more likely to try those foreign sometimes scary veggies if they were grown in the kids' garden. Their kids, but they understand the hard work and time that will go into producing one radish or one tomatillo so they will be more eager to try it because it's theirs.
Get those kids out there! Teach them to plan, teach them to experience the mystery of the plant life cycle. If you allow for their creativity in the garden, you'll be surprised every season! And you will finally get them to eat their veggies! (but don't hold me to it!)
Whether you snag seeds from Mom, have a collection of your own, or just go out to your local garden center and purchase them, turn it into a family affair! Get the kiddies involved! I will be starting my community garden project in a couple of weeks with the Boys & Girls Club kids and I am letting THEM pick out their own seeds. Yes, this could be madness. But to me, that's the best part! Let them take the initiative to try something new. Let them experience different shapes and colors by looking at pictures in catalogues, on the internet, wherever... just let them do it! They will be more likely to try those foreign sometimes scary veggies if they were grown in the kids' garden. Their kids, but they understand the hard work and time that will go into producing one radish or one tomatillo so they will be more eager to try it because it's theirs.
Get those kids out there! Teach them to plan, teach them to experience the mystery of the plant life cycle. If you allow for their creativity in the garden, you'll be surprised every season! And you will finally get them to eat their veggies! (but don't hold me to it!)
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Spring Cleaning
Ah... Spring.
A glorious and revitalizing moment in our year. Although today is just as cold... and foggy... as it has been the last month, I hold the anticipation of that first green bud close at heart. Why? Because I can actually see grass peaking through the snow!
Yes, friends, the time is near. Spring cleaning. And after a cold dark winter shut in my little apartment with piles of books and research articles, I gladly welcome spring cleaning into my life. But not inside. I am already counting down the days, crossing my fingers that the sun will peak out from behind the clouds, clear my little patio of snow, and hear the calling to take my broom and dustpan outside.
Really? You say (yes, I heard you snicker out there!). Really. Why not start off the growing season with a clean start? I want to welcome spring with the promise that I will be there, dedicated, every step of the way. And for me, that starts by giving my containers a clean place to sit.
Okay, so I don't even have containers yet, or seeds for that matter (gasp!) but the vision is there. And it will happen. I will have containers of green on my miserable cement patio. Friends, let's welcome spring with clean patios for a promise of a greener tomorrow.
Dust off those brooms, it's almost spring! :)
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