Today's Work Day

I arrived early to mark out where we were going to put our fence. I thought the weather was going to scare folks away, but that wasn't the case at all! Thanks so much to the Puddy's, the Hill's and the Knighton's for all the help.

I learned a few valuable lessons as well. Firstly, when you're mentally calculating how much fencing your going to need, double it. It worked out, though, as we got to do the weeding that so desperately needed to be done. Secondly, it's extremely difficult to lay out a fence in a straight line when the ground is full of fairly large rocks. Thirdly, when you attempt to drive a metal fence post through a rock, the rock wins. Still, half the garden, the side that was the recipient of so many soccer balls lately, is now fenced. The other side will be next weekend.

Wildlife Neighbors Of the Multi- or Non- Legged Kind

A female wolf spider with her egg sac that we disturbed while weeding.

No worries, it's just a Northern Brown Snake, a.k.a. a little brown snake (seriously, that's a real alternative name). He or she had taken up residence in our cold frame under a tray of seedlings. We weren't sure what kind it was at first, but figured it was better to leave it alone until we knew. Actually, if you ever need a snake identified, the folks at the Virginia Herpetological Society have a great on-line guide. Please remember, there are only three types of venomous snakes in Virginia. Most of the snakes in our area are harmless, and in fact, helpful in controlling populations of other pests.

More Pictures From Our Afternoon With Ms. Anderson's Class

Making Observations And Writing With Ms. Anderson's Class

Hot enough for you? We had a great afternoon with Ms. Anderson's third grade class (many of whom were in 2nd grade in my room). The second graders gave their third grade partners a tour of the garden, then sat down together to write and draw about what they saw. Several of us were surprised how much everything has grown. A few thought it was funny that radish seeds seem to have been washed out of their row in all the rain and were sprouting in two big patches between rows. One student speculated that there must have been a mistake when they were planted. Who knows?

Garden club today worked on weeding and painting signs to indicate what is growing in each bed. We'll finish those up during our work day on Saturday. We've deduced that people must be visiting and watering things, as our water barrel was just about empty. That's great! We'll be sure to get it filled up tomorrow. We wrapped it up back in the room with some fruit and the most incredible brownies proved by one of our favorite parents, Mr. V.

Don't forget we'll be gathering Saturday morning to put up a fence, install the welcome sign and finish up the row markers. It'll be fun. I know there are several other things going on in the community and it is a long weekend so many folks are busy, but any help is appreciated and will be payed back with fresh, icy-cold lemonade.

Calling for Volunteers

On Saturday, May 29th, I'm going get some fencing materials together to get the garden protected from our night time visitors. Have I ever told you all how much fun putting up a fence can be? It's way more fun than painting a fence. That's fun, just ask Tom Sawyer. We'll also be putting up our newly finished garden welcome sign (which you can seen in the last post). Anyway, it's a great opportunity to come out, enjoy a sunny day (hopefully) and see what's going on in the garden. I'll make a big batch of lemonade. You bring yourselves, your families, maybe a picnic and your smiles. We'll get started at about 10:00 in the morning and finish up at 3:00ish.

Today's Garden Work

It was a productive day! Planting is just about done, the sign is done, and the weeds are mostly under control. Now we can work on maintaining and beautifying. Thanks to Peyton Walz for coming out to help with everything from planting and weeding to crowd control.

Another Rainy Day!?!?

I'm not one to complain about rain. . . really. It's good and we've needed it. But really? Does it need to be rainy every Wednesday?

Well, the heck with it, we're going out this afternoon, regardless. There's a lot coming up and I think we need to check it out!


On another note, tomorrow afternoon I'm going to a networking meeting put on by the Center for Nonprofit Excellence. It's being put on to bring together local school and community garden folks. It should be interesting. Did you know there's a new school garden at Buford? And one at Jackson Via? I'm looking forward to the chance to get together and share ideas.

Rainy Day

I'm always grateful for rainy days. I don't have to unroll 400 feet of hose when it rains. I missed getting out to see what was what in the garden today.

Still, we've needed the rain. So, after sending everyone home that I could, the rest of us worked on our sign. Thanks to Angelo for coming back with his enthusiasm and his cookies (peanut butter. . . homemade!)

I'm thinking about having a Saturday work day in a few weeks. After finding some rather familiar hoof prints near the garden, I've realized that a fence is going to be a necessity. With enough muscle, we can get one up in just a few hours. I'm thinking the last Saturday of this month, May 29th. Put it on your calendars. I'll make a big tank of lemonade.

Oh, one more thing! To everyone that was here this afternoon. . . I'm a big dummy. No, we didn't have green paint, but. . . what do blue and yellow make?!?!?!?

4th Grade

Yesterday, Ms. Demaio's 4th grade class got to head out to the garden to plant some beans they'd started in class.

From the X-Files

There were a couple of kids who recognized this yesterday afternoon. One came up to me asked why I was cutting the aliens apart. I could barely keep a straight face.

Planting the Three Sisters

Corn, Beans, and Squash
Truthfully, we didn't plant the beans, yet. They need to wait a few weeks until the corn has sprouted so they have something to climb. The squash, pumpkins in this case, provide a living mulch that helps the ground hold water and helps keep weeds down.