Field Trip Fridays.. Chicago Botanic Garden

Yesterday, we journeyed up to Glencoe to the Chicago Botanic Garden.  Despite a bit of construction for the Shoreline Restoration Project, the garden still looks gorgeous.  The student gardeners were particularly amazed, stopping frequently to snap photos, smell flowers, and proclaim, "this is so beautiful!"  It really is a magical place.

At the entrance to the Gardens

Having spent a summer working at CBG, I can be a bit of an overambitious tour guide.  In 3 hours, we managed to visit about 10 gardens and take the Grand Tram Tour (Thanks to Shelly and Kathy for the tickets!) around the garden.  We also stopped on the legendary Fruit and Veggie Island to get some inspiration and visit the Science First Campers who are just finishing their first week of camp at the garden.  We also visited the isolated Spider Island, which we decided would be an ideal location for detention, if school were at the Botanic Garden.    

It was also worthwhile to check out the composting systems on the island.  We've had some composting adventures this week (more on that later), so it was great for students to see a demonstration system and hopefully realize that all of that turning of the compost pile will actually pay off!

Today, I returned to CBG for the School Gardening Conference.  Awesome event that is a must for anyone involved at any stages with a school/community garden.  It was a chance to learn from people like Lynn Hyndman, who manages the Dawes Garden after a career as a science teacher.  The Keynote Speaker, Melissa Graham, director of the Purple Asparagus, shared her experiences with bringing a Food Discovery program to Chicago schools.

And, did I mention that I won a potted Nasturtium in the Raffle.. complete with a recipe for stuffed Nasturtium flowers?  Wow, what a day to celebrate!

In the Arid Greenhouse at CBG

Gardening Field Trip to The Plant!

Field Trip Fridays.. Yeah!  But not before a few chores in the garden.... I can't think of a better way to spend the first Friday of the Summer. :)


Today we visited The Plant, an inspiring model of urban agriculture in nearby Back of the Yards.  While gardeners were quiet on the tour, they later said they really enjoyed the tour, with favorite parts being "seeing the plants growing on the rooftop Urban Canopy" and "the worms".

Alex P, CEO of the Urban Canopy, was kind enough to arrange a Friday tour; although the Plant was officially closed, there was a lot of excitement, with remodeling and growing happening throughout.  A living factory, the plant never rests, I suppose.

Alex showing the girls that Bees are nice, as long as you're nice to them!

Peeking into a tank of very large (and delicious?) Tilapia

Hydroponic Garden

Checking out a Wall of Crops on the Urban Canopy

The Adventures Begin: Gardening at Farragut

 

Yesterday, I set up the Lifetime Raised Garden Beds with Felix in about 10 minutes. As promised by the review, sturdy plastic parts that snap together and secure with connectors. Thanks to a tip from Alex at the Plant and the flexibility of Lake Street Landscape, 2 yards of beautiful garden mix were delivered by the early afternoon.  Will helped me pick up bags of gravel and a Mexican Mint Marigold last night.  What a busy last day of school...
After a lot of planning, seed starting, and shopping, we began gardening this morning.
I couldn't have been more excited than when I arrived to school about 7:40 am and found Jonathan and Miguel waiting in the parking lot.  All six gardeners arrived before start time.  What and awesome and reliable crew that Farragut has!

The first task, was centering the beds in front of the cement planters.. nothing like a little math practice early on the first day of summer!

Next, students added an inch of gravel to the raised beds.  Then, they moved 2 yards of garden mix soil from the courtyard entrance to the beds. This may not have been the most fun part of the morning.

We stopped for a water break and began to move plants from my classroom to the courtyard.  We stopped in the breezeway to admire our work:

Ana, Maria, and Jessica have been reading Mel Bartholomew's Square Foot Gardening, so they came with a rough plan of how to layout the crops.  We decide upon 1 bed for herbs, 1 bed of peppers, and tomatoes, and 1 bed of peppers, a cucumber, a zucchini (for flor de calabaza).  Here's a graphic from Square Foot Gardening:
The herbs we planted today are: bee balm, lemon grass, mexican mint marigold, rue, papalo, epazote, basil, cilantro, and lemon balm.  We planted several varieties of peppers (though I think Habanero was the favored plant!) and tomatoes.

At the end of the morning, we gave everything a good watering and headed home.  Next steps:  Building a Compost Bin and working on a raised bed of native plants (perennials) in a shady region of the courtyard. 

Gardens not Guns... Last Day of School!

School's Out.. and our Grass pets are alive and well.  Notice a few pets joined our division photo. 

During the last days of school, we signed an anti-gun pledge which read:

"I will never bring a gun to school. I will never resolve a dispute with a gun. I will use my influence with my friends to keep them from using guns to settle disputes. Together, by honoring this pledge, we can reverse the violence and grow up safely. Sign it; mean it, live it, keep it."
 
Maybe one day there will be a campaign:  Gardens not Guns.