Relief at last!

Finally a tiny bit of relief from the painfully dry weather. Not enough to make a big difference but it felt good anyway! The garden is looking wonderful thanks to 2 families who it turns out were watering morning and evening without the other knowing. That explains the Oasis!

The flower bed along the back gate looks great. The large leafed climbing vines are useful gourds. We planted them with the fourth graders in May. If you look closely at the flowers, you will see the tiny gourds starting to form. And the tendrils on these vines are beautiful and amazing. The tendril is what grabs onto the fence and supports the plant. Be sure and take a close look.
I was at the garden last night and saw an amazing, huge moth on the basil. It was the one night I didn't have my camera. Keep your eyes peeled for all the nature going on!
Tomatoes are starting to ripen up and the cukes and melons are finally making a comback under the TeePee trellis.
I'll be away for the week so if you have any burning questions, please contact Gina Smith or watch the watering video to hopefully answer your questions. Have a great week and I can't wait to see how much the garden grows in a week!

Beautiful Oasis

It's amazing to show up at these school gardens and see a beautiful oasis in the middle of brown grass and wilting shrubs and flowers. It's wonderful the care they are getting!
We stopped by the HES garden this evening and did a bit of weeding and a few tastings. There are still some very tasty kohlrabi left in bed #7, along with kale and fennel and a few other random Spring crops. They will be pulled soon and the bed will be replanted so if you are craving any of these veggies, now is the time to get them.
We also noticed the ground cherries in bed #1 are just starting to ripen up. When ripe, the covering will look dried up and the cherry inside should have a golden orange color. They have a sweet/tart flavor and make a tasty snack while watering. We have also gotten word that the sungolds are coming on and should be harvested when they are completely orange for the best flavor.
Basil is also getting to the point when the tops should be pinched and used. When you start to see a flower, pinch the top 4-6 leaves off each of these plants and use fresh or make pesto.
I've posted a few pictures to give some visuals. Thanks again to all who are helping out!

Hot stuff!

Wow! Hot stuff out there! For those watering, early in the morning or evening is best in this brutally hot weather....please give everything a good soak and don't forget the flowers near the back gate. They need a good long drink as well. One of the families asked how long to water and in this weather, a good long soak is much better than a quick spray. And if possible, don't get the leaves wet, especially if watering during the day. It can really wilt a plant and it will suffer the the rest of the day.

We checked for bunnies yesterday and looks like they have found a new home....good for the garden.

Looks like lots of good lettuce, kale, kohlrabi, swiss chard and the tips of the basil could also be harvested. Just pinch off the top. There are also lots of other herbs! so help yourselves!

checked on our bunny friends today and they are still in the garden. won't let them stay much longer so if you want to see them, you should visit the garden soon. Martin and Maddy are having so much fun checking them out. They seem to get bigger every day. Must be all that salad and fennel!...Thanks first graders!

lots of flowers and really good head lettuce for salad. It is planted around the tomatoes in beds 2, 4 and 6. There is also some swiss chard, lots of kale and some big kohlrabi....so eat up!