Carrot Sowing and Rock Painting

Just think... By the time the next school year rolls around, this fertile dirt bed you see below will be filled with carrots. 

A big thanks to Longfellow's third-graders, who planted rows of Bolero carrot seeds in the soil during the last days of May. 

A bright orange variety, the Bolero grows to one-and-a-half inches across. According to growers, it's one of the heaviest yielding carrots and maintains its sweet flavor even after long term storage. Last year, we dug up 140 pounds of the root veggies. Will this fall's harvest surpass our previous record?

Meanwhile, the Garden Club has been busy. Here they are planting a Flowering Crabapple Tree.

They also painted rocks to give a little color to the garden.

The next time you are in the Learning Garden, consider challenging yourself to a treasure hunt: Can you find the rocks below? In three minutes or less?

Leaping into Spring with the Longfellow Garden

Finally.

The Longfellow Garden is blooming--and bustling with energy and life.

The Longfellow gardeners have been busy. And there's more activity going on in our school's backyard in the next couple weeks, as well. Kindergarteners are starting seedlings; 3rd graders are planting carrots; 4th graders are planting potatoes, and look out for The Garden Club's handiwork at the Spring Fair Plant Sale, with plenty of saplings available for purchase.

At the Spring Work Day, kids and parents worked together hard to make all of this happen.

Weeds were pulled.

Debris was gathered and wheelbarrowed over to the new compost bins.

And new decorative signs were added to brighten up the beds.

Four new colorful benches were also built by Keith Fitzgerald and three new 'buddy benches' were also purchased.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Holmes' class is helping to maintain the pond. 

Can you find the tadpoles? A special thanks to Boysenberry Payne for diligently tending to the pond these past months to keep it sustainable.

Fifth graders have also been doing yardscaping research, testing soil in the plots, adding lime to increase the pH level of the soil, putting in milky spores to reduce pesky grubs, and then adding compost, loam and grass seed.

The Garden Club has also planted a Flowering Crabapple tree near the playground and the early greens bed. We should also thank the United Way Day of Caring volunteers for helping to weed and add mulch to all of our beds.

All of that hard work requires energy, of course. Thanks to Holy Donuts and Black Cat's coffee for keeping us all going until the summer!