School Garden 2010

The 2010 garden is turning out to be a success! The tomato blight from '09 is history, and so far we've had robust crops of radishes, peas and herbs. This year's garden participation is open to all students and parents of St. Jude School. Thanks to Ginny McGovern (pictured at left) for leading this effort and for coordinating the plantings in conjunction with Fr. Skip (our garden angel!). If you're interested in learning how you and your child can be involved, feel free to contact Ginny. The time commitment is minimal, and no gardening experience is required! It's a great way to teach your child how their vegetables are grown and harvested.

This was also the first year we had a four-season garden. Fr. Skip crafted box tops that fit tightly over the wooden frames of our raised beds. Over the winter, we grew a crop of lettuce and radishes, and by the Spring, there were enough vegetables to be picked. It was amazing how well insulated the plants stayed all winter!

Peas, herbs, peppers, radishes, and lettuce have been planted so far this year, and pumpkins are once again planned for the Fall. Be sure to look for more information regarding upcoming planting dates.
The peas grew really tall!!

The garden has instilled a sense of community at St. Jude School. Parents and children are involved with all aspects -- planting, watering and harvesting. It's also great quality time with your children.

The following picture captures the inspiration for the school garden. By teaching our children the importance of fresh fruits and vegetables in their diet, we are instilling them with healthy eating habits that will last a lifetime!

See you at the garden!

The late-November weather continues to be beautiful with daytime highs in the 50's and nighttime lows in the 30's. Fr. Skip did a beautiful job with the box covers, which are made with chicken wire, plastic, and hinged with painted boards that match the boxes of the raised beds. These mini "greenhouses" have allowed our Fall plantings to sprout, and the radishes are several inches high! The lettuce is also starting to come up... our garden continues to come to life!!

Fall Planting

The Fall planting took place in early November that included radishes and lettuce. A small group participated on a sunny Sunday afternoon, and the children had a chance once again to get their hands dirty and plant a few seeds!

The Mom's that got involved are pictured below, and they each monitored the activity in one of the 3 raised beds. (Ginny McGovern (left), Christine Peterson (center), Deirdre Tokar (right).

Pumpkin Harvest!!

The day finally came when the 2nd Grade students had the chance to pick their pumpkins!

We had a little help from the Great Pumpkin, and the garden

"yielded" a crop that allowed each child to select a pumpkin.

The day was beautiful, and the children took turns going into the garden to select their pumpkin.

There were even a few stray peppers that were also picked!!

Given the smiles on the kid's faces, I think they had a great time!

Salsa Day!!!

Fresh Tomato Salsa Recipe for Kids...

Ingredients:

1 cup chopped tomato (2-3 medium sized fresh tomatoes finely chopped)

1 tablespoon yellow onion, finely diced

1 pinch jalapeno pepper (stems, ribs, seeds removed), finely diced

1 pinch garlic

1/4 cup colored pepper

1-2 teaspoons lime juice

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

dash of salt

dash of pepper

Instructions:

Add each ingredient in order. Stir all ingredients together.

Grab some chips & enjoy!!

Each child had a chance to measure out the ingredients and stir the salsa. Fr. Skip conducted a lesson on the benefits of each of the veggies added to the salsa. It was a fun (and yummy!) way to eat the vegetables we grew in our garden!!

Thanks to all of the parents who volunteered, a special thanks to all of our little gardeners!!

Where Has The Summer Gone???

By early September the fruits of our labor were ready for picking! The nasturtiums were in full bloom, and the tomatoes, peppers, green beans, onions and cucumbers were ready for the table. Maureen Minnick did a great job teaching the children the proper way to pick the vegetables, and we had a beautiful afternoon for harvesting.

All of the vegetables were going into a homemade salsa, which each child will get the chance to make.

Even the smallest of pumpkins were starting to turn yellow and orange...