Hard to believe, but it is nearly October already! It was a quiet summer, not nearly as hot as last year. Our Garden continued to produce fruits and vegetables - the iguanas and mice in Mr. Zawacki's science lab, and the wild birds were all appreciative of the bounty, as was I. The students that were here for summer classes got to enjoy grapes and apples.
The Aquaponics system had to have a few adjustments - the shade cover that was originally built was not sufficient to prevent major algae growth. The algae consumes the nutrients produced by our goldfish, so the lettuces, collard greens and basil were not growing. We had to remove all the water and start again. Don't worry, the water went to our tropical orchard and was not wasted!
I am happy to welcome our students back to school! I always enjoy speaking with the parents, especially the ones who are not familiar yet with the Niemes Elementary Nature Center and Garden. People are always surprised at how extensive it is, and how many types of fruits and vegetables we grow. Once the September heat is done, we begin having Garden Club, Garden Helpers, and teacher visits. My students will be harvesting all the summer, warm weather fruits and vegetables: bananas, grapes, tomatoes, peppers, melons, guava, and sweet potatoes and planting cool season vegetables - radish, lettuce, cabbage, potatoes, onions, garlic and peas.
The Aquaponics system had to have a few adjustments - the shade cover that was originally built was not sufficient to prevent major algae growth. The algae consumes the nutrients produced by our goldfish, so the lettuces, collard greens and basil were not growing. We had to remove all the water and start again. Don't worry, the water went to our tropical orchard and was not wasted!
I am happy to welcome our students back to school! I always enjoy speaking with the parents, especially the ones who are not familiar yet with the Niemes Elementary Nature Center and Garden. People are always surprised at how extensive it is, and how many types of fruits and vegetables we grow. Once the September heat is done, we begin having Garden Club, Garden Helpers, and teacher visits. My students will be harvesting all the summer, warm weather fruits and vegetables: bananas, grapes, tomatoes, peppers, melons, guava, and sweet potatoes and planting cool season vegetables - radish, lettuce, cabbage, potatoes, onions, garlic and peas.