Semi- fallow, and pumpkins

While this year's garden is more fallow than not in anticipation of its move, we do have some exciting things happening. Mini pumpkins are one of the prolific producers in the garden. This is one of the plants started by and planted by last year's 5th graders. The bed the pumpkin resides in had plenty of manure added in the spring, which seems to have this pumpkin very happy.

We have plenty of basil, peppers and tomatoes. The tomatoes are just starting to flower now, so we expect more fruit in August and September. The strawberries are producing a few small, but tasty strawberries. The pollinator garden has been host to a wide variety of pollinators, stop by and see how many you can see.

The most annoying invasive this year has been tear-a-thumb. With gloves it has been easy to remove, but remains persistent. There are other weeds, that are more annoying than troublesome and the pollinators seems to enjoy them so we are keeping those minimally in check. We have kale, cabbage and flowering broccoli (and those pesky white flies).

We are very excited about the new garden and look forward to planting our fall and over-wintering crops.

50 organic, happy chickens and a happy farm

We helped to process 50 chickens last Friday at Sunnyside Farm in Pa. It was an intense experience, but carried out compassionately and under Homer's excellent tutelage. Homer, Ally and I worked well together and got the job completed in about 2 hours. Ally and I were rewarded with a chicken each, which we shared with our families on Sunday for supper. They were extremely delicious and went well with the other local veggies and homemade fruit cobbler.

Sunnyside Farm is a unique organic farm about halfway between York and Harrisburg off of I83. In addition to being organic they use no oil driven machinery. All of there tractors are animal operated (not quite Animal Farm, but if the pigs start walking upright, look out). They have a pig tractor, a turkey tractor, laying hen tractor, and a meat-chicken tractor. They also have a herd of cows, but they are not in a tractor as it were. One of Homer's goals for the farm is to have a quiet, great smelling farm - and it is working.

These animal have quite the life - full days eating insects, grubs, grass, and weeds in the great outdoors while hanging out with their friends.

The farm is a true model for what is sustainably possible. Sunnyside participates in the Lauraville Farmer's Market (across from the Safeway and Harford Road) on Tuesdays from 4-8.
Dru and Homer would love your help and have a wide range of chores to choose from. Contact Sunnyside farm for more information. sunny-side-farm.com or Sunnysidedru.blogspot. 1865 York Road, Dover, Pa

Boxelder bugs, rain and chickens

Well, we don't have boxelder bugs at school, but my neighbor does. They are all around her potted pepper plant usually basking in the evening sun. That is one of the joys of gardening is that, by default, you become a hobbiest entomologist. It seems their numbers are the biggest inconvenience. A great insect site is Dr. Michael Raupp's Bug of the Week he is a Professor at UMCP and a great speaker if you ever get the chance.

My chicken training is coming closer to an end. The chicken's that is. I will see the entire life cycle by the end of Friday when I prepare chickens for their CSA recipients. Don't know if I will cry or not, but it is an important part for me to experience the entirety of a food chain. I will let you know how it goes.

Rain, ahh beautiful rain, I've enjoyed every soaking drop over the last 36 hours or so. Like the country song says: rain makes corn, and corn makes... anyway the song entertains me.

Drought-like-conditions?

Heard that one on the news today... I'm surely glad it isn't an official drought, and please pass that on to your fruits and veggies that news should make them feel better.

It was nice to get those rain storms last night and I am glad to hear we may get more tonight - we sure need it.

Things are looking good in the gardens. The earth boxes have great looking plants and the garden proper is looking quite healthy.

The convent is coming along nicely. It will be nice to have such a green, beautiful, custom built space. We are so fortunate to be developing such a beautiful building and outdoor space. We are still pursuing chickens for next school year, I will update as those details unfold.

Now, go do your best rain dance :)

Summer is here!

What an exciting end of year it has been. The entire 5th grade spent a day at Backbone Mountain organic farm in Garrett County. The class helped to build a fence around the farm's raspberry field, watched a field being cultivated by draft horses and an early 1900's cultivator, harvested shitake mushroom, ate a farm fresh and produced lunch.

The students had lots of time to share their knowledge with the farmers as well as pick their brains.

The class was very excited o get back and harvest more cool weather crops, strawberries, onions garlic, and sugar-snap peas. they then planted their hot weather crops in Earth Boxes.

Real Food farm had their last farm stand at school and is branching out into the neighborhood as well as other parts of the city to get more local, seasonal, organic food into the hands of Baltimore Residents. be sure to look them up and visit one of their stands this summer!

Strawberries, peas, and seeds

Our strawberries are starting to produce red, ripe, tasty berries. Our sugar-snap peas are starting to produce, but always have such a hard time with this early heat. Students have been collecting the seeds of cabbage, and broccoli that was over-wintered and will be collecting the seeds of the Brussels Sprouts (at the corner of Cardenas and Brendan Ave.)

Check out the size of the onions and garlic in the canoe garden and in the raised beds! Can you tell which is which just by the foliage? The blueberry has already set fruit, as has the raspberry bush - yum!

Have you seen all the pollinators in the pollinator garden and all over the rest of the flowering plants? Keep your eye out for the Baltimore Checkerspot (our state butterfly) we have seen some out at North Point State Park, but not around the school.

I hope everyone is also enjoying the bounty that Real Food Farm brings by every Thursday for sale - sooooo many goodies!! Thanks RFF!

It'll be a BUGS week-end

This week-end the Green School will be supporting the BUGS program at Living Classrooms - its is a great plant sale and highlights their Utban gardening initiatives and student engagement. Put it on you calendar and go!