After the rains came ......
Many of the flowers decided to bloom
9/19/14 The Harvest
Environmental club students, now in 4th grade, give up part of their recess to discover which of their plants have born fruit, or vegetables in this case ;-)
In the first picture, you can see the sunflower stalks, but there are no signs of the sprouted potatoes that were planted last spring.
As we dig through the (very dry) dirt, we come upon 20 or 30 potatoes, mostly small, but a few that are large enough to cook and eat. |
Next stop: corn. We have been watching the stalks all summer to see if they will produce any edible ears. We look at the stalks to see the conditions of the silk, and find two baby ears which are lovingly opened and held by the students. Then the jackpot, an ear that looks like it could be something you'd find in the grocery store. We open it and find that half the cob has fully formed kernels of corn on it. Everyone gets a slice - it is delicious - sweet and no cooking required!
The final frontier: many small baby carrots are found, as well as one beet, one small pepper plant, sprouted radishes, and one giant squishy radish too soft to eat.
All things considered - a good day for a harvest!
All things considered - a good day for a harvest!
Wondering how your schoolyard might look about now?
Come with me to the Edward Everett Schoolyard in Dorchester and experience Summer in the Schoolyard
Come with me to the Edward Everett Schoolyard in Dorchester and experience Summer in the Schoolyard
8/31/14 Summer's End
8/15/14 Lack of rain in Boston leaves the schoolyard plants very dry by mid August
7/23/14 Midsummer Looks
7/21/14 In the latest installment of the Adventures in Schoolyard Maintenance, more work is done to tame the hillside. Check out the newest photos
Tiger lilies and milkweed predominate but the smaller ground covers are beginning to gain traction once the grass is removed. Mulch is definitely needed next.
7/5/14 Days of hot sticky weather finally give way to Hurricane Arthur's rain and wind, followed by a gorgeous 80 degree day with no humidity
Even the Everett flora appreciate the change
Even the Everett flora appreciate the change
Now, some of you may remember how the hillside above the play equipment was groomed just a month ago. Well, nature is back filling in the spaces and creating it's own little jungle land. But as you will see below, selective weeding, by pulling just one blade of grass at a time, will reveal that those new ground covers have indeed survived
and so much more to be done ....
Oh yeah, and our bonus entry, the first pear ever from the three pear trees
(2 Clapps and 1 Bartlett) planted several years ago on this same hillside.
Now that's something to celebrate !!
(2 Clapps and 1 Bartlett) planted several years ago on this same hillside.
Now that's something to celebrate !!
Story and pictures by Alicia Zipp, Environmental educator