gardening

In a previous post, I mentioned that for science this year (and probably throughout the elementary years) we've opted to do nature study, gardening, cooking, reading living books about science and visiting science museums.

My K5-son and K3-daughter have a small garden that they are responsible for maintaining...and harvesting! We opted for no-till square-foot gardens for easy start-up and maintenance. We marked off the plot, put down layers of wet newspaper and added compost and cow manure on top. Then the kids looked through our seed stash (which we had received at a city-sponsored "Going Green" event last fall) and chose what they wished to plant. I helped them determine where each seed should be planted based on size and recommended spacing. They drew pictures on a garden plot sheet to help us remember where to plant as well as what was planted. After first planting the seeds my K5-son and K3-daughter would go out each day to see if any of the seeds had sprouted. What excitement when the first seedlings broke through the soil!

They also got a first-hand introduction to pests. My K5-son 's zucchini and pumpkin plants were decimated by the dreaded squash vine borer. We had seen those guys last year, so we knew what they were. So far, my K3-daughter's pumpkin is still growing (it's about 30 feet long now), but alas, no pumpkins. We also have had opportunity to learn about hornworms, cucumber beetles and harlequin bugs and many good insects as well.

Right now we don't have a good desk reference for garden pests, so we look of most of them up online. This year, we just let the pests eat what they wanted except for a few vine borers that we gladly dissected and the hornworms that my K3-daughter enjoyed "squishing the green blood out of." Maybe next year we can do a better job at pest control. We'll also look into better companion planting.

The kids planted their gardens that first week of school in July. With the length of our growing season it is more than enough time. Really, in the South, you can plant a garden almost any time - just research what zone you live in and know what to plant. Most of the seed packets give you the information on when to plant based on your zone.

It has truly been a fun and educational experience for us. Another plus is that my K5-son and K3-daughter have eaten more cucumbers, corn and tomatoes than they would have otherwise - because they grew and picked them.

This fall and winter we'll concentrate our gardening efforts on harvesting and storing seed from some of our plants and herbs (making our own seed packets) as well as getting our garden plots ready for next spring.

Useful gardening links:
Journey to Forever Gardening Resources
Garden Guides
Organic Gardening Magazine

(Somehow I got a free subscription to this printed magazine and it's nice with great photos. They also have a free e-newsletter that contains good articles and helpful tips.)