This spring Matilde's school was given a garden bed at the neighboring p-patch. (P-patches are lots in the city with numerous garden beds. Each bed is maintained by a different organization, person, or family. Some people grow to donate to food banks and some because they simply do not have the space at home. We were actually on three different waitlists for years before we bought our farm.) Their garden plot is 200 sq ft AND it is less than a block away from the school.
They expressed interest in growing edibles for their school, and I was really excited for them until I was told NO ONE in the school had any experience or knowledge of growing anything! Somehow, I became their resident gardener. UH-OH!! Since I will only be there another two months, I showed them a neat and free website (www.smartgardener.com) to help them plan, plant, care for, and harvest their goodies.
Today, we were busy transplanting and planting. The kids in Matilde's class planted Yukon gold potatoes, red potatoes, tomatoes, peas, cucumbers, broccoli, radishes, and carrots. (I'm pretty sure each plant was trampled by at least one wild and crazy preschooler!) They were all over the moon to help out. I felt bad for the mom who sent her daughter to school in the fresh white pants today because they were completely brown by the time she lined up to walk back to the classroom.
Aside from a few more veggies, I think we will be adding a digging space, a couple sunflowers, and a sign with the school's name. Any other ideas or suggestions?
