We decided to give gardening another shot this year and once again have a plot at our neighborhood community garden. Last year we got a spot in the garden a bit late and so we were not very successful in our planting. This year we are determined to learn more, work harder and do better, all while still having fun and teaching our kids about how things grow.
We have two other families working with us this year. Since the garden is in our neighborhood but not at home, it really helps to have several people checking on things, especially when the heat of summer hits and we have to water often.
This week we started off by having a truck load of compost soil mix delivered. It was recommended that we add a lot more soil to our beds (1-2 inches above the board) and then we added lava sand, dried molasses and alfalfa to amend the soil. We will also add worm tea to infuse the soil with beneficial microbes that will attract worms to our soil and make it healthy. Whew! I have already learned a lot!
Kirsten and I took all four kids with us to the garden on the day the dirt was delivered with the goal of filling the beds. The dirt was dumped about 100 feet from our plot so we had to transport it by wheelbarrow. The kids did amazing and the day was beautiful. Grayson and Katherine are in the same class at school and Foster and Caroline are in the same class and we all stay for an hour after school on the playground when weather is nice so they are all great friends.
I think that Caroline and Foster digging in the dirt together is so cute. They were working so hard. Notice that Caroline brought Elmo with her. Elmo is currently in the laundry basket as he is covered with "organic" material if you know what I mean.
When I told Katherine to grab a jacket, she came back with her rain suit on, complete with waterproof overalls. I guess that was good since she was playing in "organic" material.
Grayson was a big helper. He used his little spade to help us fill our wheelbarrows.
We got about half of the dirt into the plot that day and Sara and I returned the next day to complete the task and plant some things. We planted a few of the vegetables that are a little late. They should have been planted about 2 weeks ago. But, we thought we would go ahead and see what happens. It all depends on the weather. We planted broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, brussel sprouts, chard, spinach and carrots. Next week we will plant beans, zucchini, and squash. The following week we will plant cucumber, tomato and peppers.
We have two other families working with us this year. Since the garden is in our neighborhood but not at home, it really helps to have several people checking on things, especially when the heat of summer hits and we have to water often.
This week we started off by having a truck load of compost soil mix delivered. It was recommended that we add a lot more soil to our beds (1-2 inches above the board) and then we added lava sand, dried molasses and alfalfa to amend the soil. We will also add worm tea to infuse the soil with beneficial microbes that will attract worms to our soil and make it healthy. Whew! I have already learned a lot!
Kirsten and I took all four kids with us to the garden on the day the dirt was delivered with the goal of filling the beds. The dirt was dumped about 100 feet from our plot so we had to transport it by wheelbarrow. The kids did amazing and the day was beautiful. Grayson and Katherine are in the same class at school and Foster and Caroline are in the same class and we all stay for an hour after school on the playground when weather is nice so they are all great friends.
I think that Caroline and Foster digging in the dirt together is so cute. They were working so hard. Notice that Caroline brought Elmo with her. Elmo is currently in the laundry basket as he is covered with "organic" material if you know what I mean.
When I told Katherine to grab a jacket, she came back with her rain suit on, complete with waterproof overalls. I guess that was good since she was playing in "organic" material.
Grayson was a big helper. He used his little spade to help us fill our wheelbarrows.
We got about half of the dirt into the plot that day and Sara and I returned the next day to complete the task and plant some things. We planted a few of the vegetables that are a little late. They should have been planted about 2 weeks ago. But, we thought we would go ahead and see what happens. It all depends on the weather. We planted broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, brussel sprouts, chard, spinach and carrots. Next week we will plant beans, zucchini, and squash. The following week we will plant cucumber, tomato and peppers.
