Back to school

I haven't written much about working with students in a while because I haven't been working with students for a while. A combination of wicked weather and personal/business conflicts conspired to stop my involvement in Green Chimneys for months. But I'm now back in the saddle (or compost) with a half dozen students and the ability to start working the soil. We have had a nearly perfect melt in the northeast with almost Goldilocks conditions (with the exception of last weekend where we got nearly 5 inches of rain in a single day.) We have had a steady and slow melt since mid February so that while the soil is a bit saturated it can be walked on rather than act as a quicksand-like quagmire that will swallow a boot with a quick muddy gulp.

Last Thursday was a rainy day with more to come but I am hopeful that we will be able to plant radishes and peas in the garden later this week. I went out to the Children's Garden a few days ago and saw that  the cauliflower, mustard greens and some of the lettuce is coming back from a rough winter. The carrots are intact, nice and sweet ready for harvest. In my garden for the hungry a few kale seeds have sprouted sending up little baby leaves that can be harvested in a month or so.

The garden at this time of year is a bit mysterious as you will soon find out how well you dealt with the weeds of the past year: if you did a good job in the fall your rows will be fallow and empty. Not so well, your rows will be filled with more weeds than you care to count. Some plants, like dill or fennel, go from desired herb to invasive weed as their seed pods and roots are very generous spreading their progeny. 

The children are excited but wary of going out to the garden. It was a raw rainy day; not the best time to be rejoicing in nature. So we are doing some busy work as well as planning our garden. A simple review of seed catalogs open their eyes to the potential of months to come and the different flowers that could come their way. Bill spent over 15 minutes carefully examining a Parks Seed catalog amazed at the different flowers and vegetables he found. "I didn't think peas had so many pretty flowers," he commented.

Such references help us define the season and the jobs to come. It is hard to imagine that just a week ago the only grass that could be seen was covered with snow mold and monuments of dirty snow that distinguished each corner. But now it is time to get ready.

One of my students categorizes all the seed we have received for the season. Another starts a tray of spring flowers. Another re-pots a few overgrown aloe plants. Another whittles a stick. My students are coming out of their dormancy and like the garden almost ready to burst into growth.

Comments

[erik]

Yeah, the kids are really Jones-ing to get out in the weather. The last few weeks we have been sequestered inside; a cruel trick of the weather. Next week should be better

[Topsoil Suppliers]

Roll on summer. Lets get the flowers into bloom and get the kids out in the garden. This winter seems to hung around for ever.