November - from the Garden to the Kitchen

We had our surprise Halloween snowfall - enough to remind us what's ahead and what we need to do before real winter sets in.  Check out   link  for a complete list by zone. At our school we are already moving indoors to make our soups and frittata and anything else that uses vegetables. We can still harvest parsley and kale for the soups, and sage for Thanksgiving menus.

http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/do-list-november?page=0,3

Curriculum Ideas to Share

We just had our October GIVE meeting. Gardening is always about sharing - sharing the harvest, sharing ideas, websites, worries, and wonder.  (Above photo is part of the harvest of one school garden shared with the local Food Pantry - part of their 500 pounds donated this their first summer of gardening.)  So, suffice it to say,  we enjoyed a good summer season. Moving right along, now's the time to plant garlic, to get the beds ready for winter, to set up new beds, and to weave gardening into the curriculum of our schools and into the lives of our children and their families.
To that end, you may enjoy a look at Ridgefield,CT's Garden Activity Guide- in 3 parts:

https://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&ik=f5d4c0b696&view=att&th=1332711fa9fb84e2&attid=0.1.1&disp=inline&zw

https://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&ik=f5d4c0b696&view=att&th=1332711fa9fb84e2&attid=0.1.3&disp=safe&zw

https://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&ik=f5d4c0b696&view=att&th=1332711fa9fb84e2&attid=0.1.5&disp=safe&zw

Another excellent site for those with a climate akin to Chicago:
http://www.grannysgardenschool.com/
And for those who need a boost of funds, check out  http://www.donorschoose.org/teachers
This should be enough to keep us busy for a while. Enjoy.

summer garden scene

Summer in the garden - the beds are bursting, more wood chips have been spread, and we add to the  compost every week. Notice the use of wooden pallets, 7 of them rescued from the trash, secured by giant zip ties and, voila,  compost bins. New beds made of recycled lumber 2" x 8" are just what we needed. It's been a very satisfying season so far. Now if we could figure out who/what is nibbling at some of our chard and lettuce. Yes, rabbits are around and No, we're not fenced. Some evidence of deer browsing, too. But there's plenty to go around. Can't wait for the students to see the garden when they return at the end of August. 'Til then we'll keep up our weekly watering, weeding, and harvesting. This week we picked a green pepper and a few jalapenos, a white eggplant, cherry tomatoes,  uncovered a few potatoes, and a couple of onions, cut lots of Italian parsley, and enjoyed a few thornless blackberries, too.

Reader's Digest honors GIVE

Just learned that there's a feature in the June issue of Reader's Digest  on GIVE - pages 90-92- the Power of 1 and here's a link to a related item
Let's keep growing!
http://www.greentowns.com/initiative/green-initiative-for-vegetables-in-education

Sharecropping, anyone?

This was news to me but I suspect the idea has been around. A Master Gardener friend explained how her own garden does not have enough sun for vegetables. Solution: she found a friend with a sunny garden area, a friend who didn't want to create a vegetable garden, but who was happy to give up some space. Bottom line: both got to harvest the vegetables. Yours, mine, ours!

Fun Compost Cups

Here's a recipe for "compost cups" - a fun way to teach about the layers in a compost pile.
Thanks to Alexis, Dana and Stephanie, our MG interns.

https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0B5vNavmNHB6BZDY1YTc0ZGItYjJmZS00Nzc1LTg1MjgtNDIwZmZkMDY4N2Fj&hl=en

Butterfly Habitat

At our GIVE meeting yesterday we netted a neat presentation of a beautiful Butterfly Habitat being established at Hart School in Stamford, CT. Perfect for another school or an adventurous home gardener.

https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B5vNavmNHB6BMjE2YzQ2ZjctNzM3Mi00ZmZhLWJkZWQtMDQyOWRmYTg4NWRj&hl=en

Natural Awakenings - feature on GIVE

A generous look at GIVE in an article just published in the Fairfield County March edition of Natural Awakenings magazine. See pages 18-21.
http://issuu.com/naturalawakeningsfairfield/docs/na_ffc_0311_digital_final?viewMode=magazine&mode=embed

The Challenge

So here it is - late February- and we're aching to get into the garden. And just in time to satisfy that craving, the Stamford Garden Club announces a Challenge for the GIVE schools. How about growing a head of organic Buttercrunch, Lactuca saliva, to be exact, for the May 20-21 Flower Show, Timescapes, at the Stamford Museum and Nature Center? Two versions are available: start from seed and start from plugs. And 14 schools have signed on.  What doesn't make it into the show will make it into the school gardens and salads. Get ready! Get set! Grow!

Gratitude for the People Coming Forth to Help

At our most recent GIVE meeting on Jan. 20th we were once again showered with good will and good information that are enabling us to move forward with our plans for a vegetable garden at every school in Stamford. Offers of compost from the city of Stamford,  manure from the Stamford Museum and Nature Center,   documents from the Master Gardeners and advice from the Stamford Garden Club members are all contributing to our progress. The 19 schools currently participating are moving along at varying paces, but the timing is such that all will be able to have a spring planting. And with the helping hands and voices that nurture us we will produce a spring/summer harvest worthy of our/their efforts.

Seeds: timing of planting, companions, how to's

See 3 new additions to the "resources" section thanks to the research of several Master Gardeners. Planting guide, starting seeds inside, how to read a seed packet, companion plants.... Just what we need to push away the weariness of winter.