The end of school the start of summer - so much to catch up on!

Since the last post here back on May 30th, so so very much has occurred.
Signs are up, beds are planted, new benches and seating are in place, the wild garden is established and gardeners are working hard with weeding and watering, and please feel free to join in this summer, we actually have a good time doing it, because it is such a beautiful spot!

New signage completed by Keith Fitzgerald, Ellis'  dad. 

I am the new blogger in town, and I apologize for my tardiness. We wish Anthony well on his move to Chicago and thank him for getting this blog off to a good start. Here's to an exciting year of garden club and all kinds of continued Poet's Hideaway uses!

Since the end of May Peonies, Azelea's, Lupines, asparagus and wild ramps and strawberries have all come and gone.  As I look through my photos I see that beach walks, bike rides, swimming, camps, kayaking and vacations with hammocks have also come and gone (oh yes and some work too). Thankfully it is just mid way through our summer season of 'fun in the sun' and the fun of the harvest is just about to begin! Joy!

The next post will feature more images from the dedication and the send off for Dawn Carrigan!

The new benches glow with a colorful presence as the kids enjoy the pond for finding insects and hopefully frogs too.

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!

Spring Spruce Up this Saturday!

It may not feel like it yet, but the spring growing season is upon us. And there's no better reason than to get out and feel the warming rays of the sun than this weekend's Spring Clean-up day in the Longfellow Learning Garden. (The sun usually has a way of creeping out.) This Saturday, from 9am to noon, gardeners young and old are invited to help our shivering plants blossom and bloom. But they do need your help.

These purple crocus flowers, for instance, are surrounded by brown leaves, which need to be cut back and cleaned out in order for the plants to thrive. We also need help with raking, deadheading perennials and cleaning out the stream and the pond. Children are not only welcome, but are some of our best workers. Coffee and snacks will be provided (do I smell Holy Donuts?)

Meanwhile, the 5th grade science classes are doing a great project: Improving the quality of the grass in the courtyard. They are setting up test plots (see picture below), doing soil testing, and researching environmental friendly ways to improve the soil and grass.

If you missed Earth Day, which took place on April 22, now's your chance to celebrate, cultivate and improve our local environment.