TreeBaltimore

WE NEED YOU! Please attend the TreeBaltimore annual meeting December 7, 2012  12:30 – 2:30 p.m. Cylburn Arboretum’s Vollmer Center Does your organization wish to plant trees in your neighborhood or elsewhere?  TreeBaltimore is the umbrella organization for all groups and agencies promoting and planting trees throughout Baltimore!  Join our partners in speaking with one voice to increase the Urban Tree Canopy.  Talk with tree experts about how to get your community involved in the tree game and let us know what your neighborhood is already doing! Topics will include record keeping, planting and maintenance guidelines, ‘comparable’ programs in other cities, tree stewardship program, and much more! Please Don’t Forget to RSVP at your earliest convenience, to: Charles.murphy@baltimorecity.gov If you can’t make the event, but are still interested, feel free to email any questions, thoughts, or interest.

Cover Crops

Today for E3 Friday we pulled the last of the warm weather plants and then planted cover crops.  Annual rye, crimson clover and hairy vetch now reside where peppers,  eggplant, sunflowers, tomatoes, and cucumber once reigned.

I heard today that we may see temps. in the mid 60's Monday and Tuesday.  I am hoping that those temperatures will give our peas an extra boost and more blooms will be created.  We have many blooms now, but more is better!  C'mon sugar-snap peas!

Where did November go?

Warm, then cold, then warmish, the really cold, then gobble, gobble, gobble, then brrr, then a cold wet trip to Clagett Farm, and now cover crops and pepper plant pulling on Friday.

Wow.  Hope everyone had a fantastic Thanksgiving and gave lots of thanks.  The holiday bug hit me early this year and I am so ready for peace and good cheer.  I've already hung lights, 'cause that's the way I roll,  and I am looking forward to all the beautiful lights and love and spirit of the season to be seen and experienced in Baltimore.  Of course I love all of the food that comes from all cultures this time of year.  Yum.

That said, seed catalogs are already rolling in and it is so exciting to start thinking about the next growing season.  Crazy thing is that season starts in just 3 months from now.

Get out and enjoy the muted sophistication of mother nature in winter!

610 Spring Bulbs

Pollinators be aware!  The green school is planting 610 spring bulbs that will provide food for pollinators and beauty for us humans from early spring through early summer!  What an exciting endeavor for the entirety of GSB to plant that many bulbs together.  If all goes as planned, it will quite a spectacular site through to the spring of 2013 and beyond.

The holes were predrilled today so it will just be a matter of placing the bulbs in their new homes (pointy end toward the sky), covering with soil and letting mother nature work her magic!

First frost

On election morning, we woke up to our first frost of the season.  Not a hard freeze, but a frost none the less.  Some things suffer for that, but many cool weather and overwinter crops benefit.  Just check out our bolting spinach - it has slllooowwwweeeedddd down.

We are going to have a warm up and that will benefit all of those last minute cool weather and cover crops we still want to plant.

We recently cut down and hung seeding plants like sunflowers, corn, and zinnias knocked down by Sandy for the benefit of birds.  They, the birds, are thoroughly enjoying their bounty.

Friday we are going to try to plant about 700 spring bulbs for their beauty and bounty for humans and fauna alike.

I hope everyone voted today.

Garlic History by Julia Parker 5th Grade

 In 5^th grade Investigations the 5^th graders planted garlic cloves.  Here are some interesting facts about garlic:

·         Garlic bulbs usually have 10 cloves of garlic inside, and if you plant each clove you will get a whole other bulb out of it. Cool huh?

·         Egyptians worshipped garlic and place clay models of garlic bulbs in the tomb of Tutannkhamen. 

·         Folklore says that garlic repels or kept out vampires, protected against the evil eye.  It also warded of jealous nymphs that terrorized pregnant women and engaged women.

·         The word garlic comes from old English word Garleac meaning “spear leek.” This word is dating back over 6000 thousand years and is native to Central Asia. 

·         Today Americans alone consume over 250,000,00 pounds of garlic annually.

That’s what I call garlic history.  Information from www.about.com. Written by Julia Parker 5^th Grade GSB