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/

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!) 

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! :)