It's hard to believe that the summer has flown by and my students are back again! I'll be spending the next few weeks planning what and where we'll be planting the cool season vegetables, weeding, preparing soil, and just enjoying the beginning of fall.
It's true - summer is over, the days shorter, the nights cooler. Much was accomplished during the past few months though. Our Easter Seals volunteer crew with Lakisha, Jessie, Jeff, Eric, and Duane were there to help with cleanup and weeding. I was happy to welcome back former student Maya, and her Abuelita Adela too, who are wonderful volunteers. Our awesome Artist in Residence, Janis, moved forward on her beautiful mural. We're looking forward to the ribbon cutting! The iguana that used to live in the Science Lab was kicked out of his home by the python. He is happily ensconced in his temporary home in The Jungle. We plan on making him a permanent home by renovating the Reptile Refuge this coming year - our new project for 2017-2018.
It is always interesting to me what crops do well from year to year. This year we had a relatively cool summer - not one single pumpkin is ripe, and the guava's are just beginning. On the other hand, the bananas are going wild, and the tiny mango tree was weighed down by 5 tiny mangos. Three of the tomato plants did great, two were useless. But was it because of the variety? The soil? The water? When you are growing organic, and using nature to teach, you are subject to, not only weather, but also varieties of plants you are trying out, the condition of the soil, and the various insects and animals that want to share in your produce. Most of our bean seedlings were happily eaten by someone, as were a number of melon and cotton starts. Somebody discovered ripening bananas on our table and enjoyed many of them. There were holes in the cabbage leaves, a few apple worms, and Argentine ants EVERYWHERE! Even at that, we still could not eat all the things that the garden produces, there is so much that is ready all at once.
Yes, we know that there are "organic" or "natural" pest control things out there. But, it's a learning garden - and one of the learning points is that all things have their purpose, all of us have a job. If the weeds weren't here, our topsoil would blow away, and the earth would be hard as a rock. Without those annoying insects, what would the birds and lizards eat? Without the birds, we would be overtaken by insects. Without Cat, our fruit trees would be bare of fruit. Mother Nature is not here to serve us! We are just lucky recipients of all her glorious abundance - along with a number of competitors/partners. In our Garden, we try to keep it all in balance. Some for us, some for you, some for the earth. But we do wish that there were less of those pesky Argentine Ants...
It's true - summer is over, the days shorter, the nights cooler. Much was accomplished during the past few months though. Our Easter Seals volunteer crew with Lakisha, Jessie, Jeff, Eric, and Duane were there to help with cleanup and weeding. I was happy to welcome back former student Maya, and her Abuelita Adela too, who are wonderful volunteers. Our awesome Artist in Residence, Janis, moved forward on her beautiful mural. We're looking forward to the ribbon cutting! The iguana that used to live in the Science Lab was kicked out of his home by the python. He is happily ensconced in his temporary home in The Jungle. We plan on making him a permanent home by renovating the Reptile Refuge this coming year - our new project for 2017-2018.
It is always interesting to me what crops do well from year to year. This year we had a relatively cool summer - not one single pumpkin is ripe, and the guava's are just beginning. On the other hand, the bananas are going wild, and the tiny mango tree was weighed down by 5 tiny mangos. Three of the tomato plants did great, two were useless. But was it because of the variety? The soil? The water? When you are growing organic, and using nature to teach, you are subject to, not only weather, but also varieties of plants you are trying out, the condition of the soil, and the various insects and animals that want to share in your produce. Most of our bean seedlings were happily eaten by someone, as were a number of melon and cotton starts. Somebody discovered ripening bananas on our table and enjoyed many of them. There were holes in the cabbage leaves, a few apple worms, and Argentine ants EVERYWHERE! Even at that, we still could not eat all the things that the garden produces, there is so much that is ready all at once.
Yes, we know that there are "organic" or "natural" pest control things out there. But, it's a learning garden - and one of the learning points is that all things have their purpose, all of us have a job. If the weeds weren't here, our topsoil would blow away, and the earth would be hard as a rock. Without those annoying insects, what would the birds and lizards eat? Without the birds, we would be overtaken by insects. Without Cat, our fruit trees would be bare of fruit. Mother Nature is not here to serve us! We are just lucky recipients of all her glorious abundance - along with a number of competitors/partners. In our Garden, we try to keep it all in balance. Some for us, some for you, some for the earth. But we do wish that there were less of those pesky Argentine Ants...