Welcome Back to School!

The garden has survived Tropical Storm Irene and is holding its own against the chilly September nights thanks to the work of our Summer Interns! We had a great crew this summer including the following King and Amigos students.

Morgan 6th grade, Rodman 6th grade, Jordan 6th grade, David 6th grade, Isaac 8th grade, David 8th grade

Now that school is in session, activity in the garden this fall has been packed with learning and exploration. Amigos's middle school science teacher Laurie Ferhani has brought her 6th graders out to explore the ecology and work in the garden. King's 2nd teacher, Sarah Healy, has also visited the garden to study the different types of soil and the organisms that live in each.

The garden is bursting with food! There are tomatoes, tomillos, basil, greens, potatoes, and sun- chokes. Amigos Meg Ramsdell will be hosting garden-drop-in-hours this fall afterschool on Mondays. This is a great opportunity to harvest some veggies and do a little gardening work!

I hope to see you in the garden soon!

Today, we went on a field trip to Gaining Ground in Concord, MA. Here are some photos!

Spring into Summer!

Where did May and June go? We have been busy planting in the garden. Students from both King and Amigos Schools have been planting, watering, and making garden signs every week. Together we have planted tomatoes, potatoes, spinach, basil, cilantro, peppers, squash, and eggplant. All this and it is not even a complete list!

The kindergarten, second and first grade classes from Amigos not only planted but they also made scientific observations of herbs, sifted soil, and solved garden story problems. The 7th grade class came to the garden to study asexual plants in the garden including strawberries, onions, tulips, and some herbs.

The kindergarten and first grade classes from King made seed tape, planted seed balls, and measured plants in the garden. The fourth grade planted peas and recorded their growth on a graph. Students in the middle school work in the garden weekly for community service.

The garden looks great and it is ready for the Summer Youth Program. This summer the program will begin next Monday, June 27. Interns participating in this program will take care of the garden over the summer, learn how to cook with vegetables from the garden, and study sustainable food systems.

Thanks for a great spring! I am looking forward to seeing you all next year!

We are waking up the garden!

It is spring and the garden is coming alive! There are hyacinths, alliums, and garlic coming up. The winter rye is a brilliant green. We have cleared a garden bed and started planting peas.

Yesterday a kindergarten class from Amigos came out to the garden in the rain! They helped clear the winter straw from some of the garden beds to observe the garlic that they planted in the fall!

We are excited to continue planting spring vegetables including spinach, beans, beets, turnips, and radishes. The compost is ready to be spread and the seeds are all set to be planted. The garden is full of life!

Happy November 1st! This October there was a lot of activity in the garden. Many classes came out to explore slugs and bugs. Other classes cooked up some delicious dishes with kale, potatoes, tomatoes, and herbs.

The biggest event that happened in the garden was the annual Cider Pressing Event. Classes from all grades pressed cider out of apples using a simple machine and learned facts about how apple trees grow!

Now that it is November, we are planting garlic, tulips, and daffodils. We are also planting rye to keep our garden beds warm in the winter. We hope that when we return, the garden will be full of life in the Spring!

Come out to the garden and help with our Fall planting! I have to run and plant some garlic with a 1st grade class.

Save the date for this Saturday, October 2 from 11 am -4 pm! CitySprouts will be celebrating its 10 year anniversary at the Tobin School. This celebration is a Cambridge Public School wide Garden Fiesta!

MLK School will be set up for students and families to decorate biodegradable pots and plant seeds of vegetables that will grow inside throughout the winter. Summer interns from MLK School will also be giving a demonstration on how to make pesto!

Amigos School will be showcasing and sharing the garden's herbs in sachets made from sage, lemon balm, and lavender. Amigos interns will also be giving a demonstration on how to make tsadiki dip!

Student work from the garden will be on display from both schools. Additionally, fresh produce harvested from the garden the morning of the celebration will be showcased for all to see and inquire about.

This is a great event to learn more about how school gardens are used in the classroom to learn. Not to mention, day full of local-mouth-watering organic food!

I look forward to seeing you there!

Liz

September in the Garden

Wow! I can't believe that October is just around the corner! Where did September go? At least the warm weather is still hanging on! There has been a lot of activity in the garden and school has been in session for only three weeks!

For one thing, there is a new Garden Coordinator and Kaitlin has gone back to school to pursue a degree in education. My name is Liz Anderson and I am really excited to be the new King/Amigos Garden Coordinator! As a teacher and a gardener with some experience working on organic farms, I am pleased to combine both passions working with King/Amigos students in the garden!

Already many classes have been out to the garden to harvest potatoes, kale, herbs, and tomatoes. A lot of this produce has gone home with students, but some have been lucky enough to cook with the vegetables in the garden! This connection between food and the garden has really taken shape during the King/ Amigos Garden Drop-In-Hours on Thursdays from 3:30-4:30. After working in the garden, parents and students enjoy cooking the vegetables that they harvest!

In addition to making observations as naturalists and composters, Ms. Ferhani's Amigos Science classes have also made zesty salads and savory potatoes in the garden. Both King and Amigos Art classes have been out to the garden and drawn sunflowers drooping from the weight of their heavy heads and squash the shape of bottles. Other classes have come out to the garden to begin studying plant life and its natural environment including zebra slugs, pill bugs, and worms!

As a result of these visits, students have made insightful observations like,"if there is a bog in the garden, maybe we can grow some rice!" Students have also had the opportunity to clear up some misconceptions about where vegetables come from, such as the one about potatoes coming from trees!

I am looking forward to welcoming the month of October with the annual Cider Press event! Several students and teachers have asked me already when they can come down to the garden and start making cider! Yummmm, I can taste October already!