IT HAS BEEN A GREAT YEAR IN THE GARDEN

The Kids Garden has been a huge success this year.  I wish that I had the camera with me when we pulled the potatoes out of the garden.  The potatoes were the "Rock Stars"  of the summer garden.  The kids squealed with joy and surprise when we pulled those weed looking stems, digging carefully around in the dirt and then out popped a red or brown potato!

We were amazed how big the sunflowers got and I think they could still be growing.  I actually had kid's asking if we could go out to pick carrots for snack.  I smile just thinking about it!  That alone makes the garden class worth while!  Right now we have yellow, green & orange pumpkins growing and we will have fun carving jack-o'-lanterns this fall.  The watermelons and the honey dew melons are planted in the wrong spot and are getting a little too much shade.....I will have to find a new spot for them next year.  I am hoping that they will eventually be big enough to pick.  The beans just have not produced much this year and I was glad when a friend said that her beans didn't do well this year either.    Because everyone knows how easy it is to grow bean.  There are a lot of green tomatoes and hopefully we will be able to use them in the fall garden and cooking class.  Fried green tomatoes anyone if they don't  ripen?  We did have a few early tomatoes and interestingly we made a tomato and basil strata and it was a huge hit!  I was surprised when the kid's asked for seconds.  The sad story about the garden  was when we came to class after a weekend and someone got all of the ripe strawberries...animal, kid, adult????  We don't know who got them but we had a lesson on sharing that day.

I believe that a garden is a huge asset to any school and I am pleased to see the huge garden at Western Ave School! Now if the other schools in our community could join in the fun of gardening and provide one for their kids (in my perfect world!). I had a little girl that asked if I could do it next year for first graders  (currently we offer it to kids that are 3-6 and she will be seven).....and could I also do it for 9 year olds because her brother would like this class.  The gears are working and I am making notes to talk with my supervisor and see if we can do this.  And a big Thank You to Mickey my supervisor, he has been very supportive with the start up of the garden class and as the program as it grows.   Thank you Mickey and thank you to all came and had fun learning in the Park District Garden with me this summer!  Check out the really fun little gardener pictures below.

I think these little gardeners will grow up to be big gardeners!