Fencing & Planting

This was one of those days when we descended upon the garden like a swarm of bees, did a lot of work in a very short time, and went back to the room for a quick snack.

Phil and Deirdre Armstrong from Harvest Thyme Herb Farm came with a bunch of herbs for one of our beds.  Ms. Deirdre and Ms. Massie helped us plant those.  We also put in two rows of borage (an edible flower that for which bees absolutely go gaga), a row of nasturtiums, and a row of radishes.  If we get a few good rains in the next couple of weeks we might be able to start eating the radishes fairly soon.  Even though we started them from seed, they germinate in just a about a week and, in good conditions, can sometimes be picked in a bit over three weeks.

While all that was going on another group, led by Mr. V and Mr. Phil worked on the fence.  We got the bottom rail put on almost half the fence.  It's possible that Mr. V or I may work on the fence sometime this weekend, but even if we don't, and we keep up the pace we set today, we'll be ready to put the pickets on the fence in just a few weeks.

And while all that was going on, a smaller group helped me pull out the hose to water what was just planted.  It all went by in a blur.  I'm glad Alex and Jack were taking pictures to help me remember.

What're you planting, Liam?

"The name is Bond. . . James Bond."

A source of much fascination.

Ms. Deirdre helped with the herb bed.
Ms. Massie helped in the flower bed.

For someone who doesn't like his picture taken,  he always ends
 up in a lot of good pictures.  Plus, he's got a rockin' hat.  I bet I know
when and where he got it.

Mr. V having a "Tim The Toolman" moment.  MORE POWER!

Mr. Phil helping out with the fence.

No matter how you break it down though, a lot of stuff got done by a lot of very energetic kids today.  Thank you, everyone, for making it a great afternoon.

Killdeer

So, this isn't necessarily garden related, but it's cool nonetheless.

I've known for years that Cale has a pair of resident Killdeer.  Last weekend a pair of babies hatched in one of our courtyards.

Here is a link to some information about our feathered friends.

Actually it is garden related.  Gardens make great habitats for wildlife.  Now, the Killdeer isn't nesting in the garden, but the gardens can bring in food for the Killdeer.

We're not kidding when we "protective."

Can you see the baby?

Momma (or Dad, I'm not sure)  hiding out in the gravel.

Some Killdeer facts.

Momma keeping one of the babies warm.

Momma again.

What Did We Do To Deserve. . .

. . . all this good weather?

I'm sure it gets repetitive for you all to keep hearing this but, . . .

It was yet another stellar day in Garden Club.  We worked on mulching the flower bed today.  Next week we'll work on the fence and Phil and Deirdre Armstrong will be coming to help out with some planting.  

In the spirit of that old expression, "a pictures worth a thousand words," here's 10,000 words worth of pictures.

 

Of Concrete and Fence Posts

It has been a very productive week.  The fence posts are in and set.  Mr. V., Mr. Lepsch, Larry and I spent the morning getting them in place, cemented in, and leveled.  It was a great time and it went very quickly.  I think we were all surprised seeing as it literally took days to dig the holes.

When Garden Club starts again this week we'll have plenty to do.   In the next few weeks we'll need to mulch the flower bed, plant our starts, start some more seeds, and finish building the fence.  Then there's the seemingly unending weeding.  Weeding is actually one of my favorite things to do.  It's a quiet, calm activity that can be very restorative after a long day in school.  Yup, I almost kept a straight face when I wrote that.  Well, it is restorative, but when you have a dozen or so elementary age students helping, it's not really that quiet.  It's fun though.

That's a lot to think about, but we'll get it done.  This coming week I believe we'll just concentrate on getting the flower bed mulched.

Here are few pictures from this morning.

Say hello to my little friend.

Mr. V. and Mr. Lepsch mixing concrete.

About half way through.

The Brute Squad
(minus Mr. Lepsch who was taking the picture).

The other half.

What I Did On My Spring Vacation

Some people might think that Spring Break is for relaxing.  Unfortunately, it's also the time to put a lot of work into the garden.  Still, it's much more pleasant to spend time out in the garden than in front of a TV or computer.  .  .  really.  Maybe it's not quite as pleasant as being on a beach, but still . . .

Monday, Mr. V. and I started getting ready to put up the new fence around the garden.  We had the aid of a power auger to dig the post holes, but with all of the rocks it was still a pretty long process.

Wednesday, Phil and Deirdre Armstrong of Harvest Thyme Herbs came with their tiller to help get our beds ready.  Larry, a garden club regular, also came out to help and was a great help hauling all of the rocks out of our post holes and the garden.   He also helped me finish measuring out the fence line.   The Armstrongs, Phil and Deirdre, grow a lot of produce for many of the local restaurants around Charlottesville and Staunton.  They're great friends and really believe in what we're doing in the garden.

This morning, Mr. V., Alex, Joe, and I came out to work some more on the post holes.  Our load of mulch for the flower bed came just as we were finishing up working this morning.  Later in the afternoon, I finished up the holes with the help of my friend Ian.  Right afterward, Mr. V.'s friend, Heather, delivered our fence posts and the slats for the fence.  Heather also lent us the auger.  I really can't thank her enough for the donations and the use of her tools to get this project going.

Tomorrow morning, Mr. V., Don Lepsch, and I will be setting the posts.  I think Alex, Joe, and Larry may be back to help as well.  If anyone else would like to come out and help, you'd be more than welcome.

Let me finish up by saying, this garden wouldn't exist without help and donations from a lot of people.  I don't want to make a list, for fear that I'd unintentionally leave someone off the list.  (Actually, I'm working on just such a list.  Look for it soon.)  I'll just say, I couldn't do this without friends.  Thank you all very, very much.  If you're in garden club, or even just a teacher, student, or parent who appreciates the garden, don't forget to say thanks to these fine people when you see them.

So Happy Easter, Happy Passover, and go Red Sox!

On Wednesday, Phil and Deirdre Armstong came to till our garden beds. 

Mr. V. and I dug holes for the fence posts.

The auger that helped dig the holes. . .
and made blisters.

An action shot.

Joe and I checking out the progress.

Meanwhile. . . we had the mulch for the flower bed delivered.
(Is it just me or does the grass look purple in that picture?)