St. Jude School Garden

School Garden 2010

2010-07-28T19:45:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-11-23T17:24:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-15T16:24:00.001-08:00

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!!

2009-11-15T14:49:00.000-08:00

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!!!

2009-10-08T12:25:00.000-07:00

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???

2009-10-08T11:52:00.001-07:00

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...

Salad Day!!!

2009-07-13T06:22:00.000-07:00

The children got the opportunity to enjoy the fruits of their labor! Salad Day took place during lunch, and the students enjoyed a delicious salad made from their freshly picked lettuce...

Pumpkin Planting

2009-07-13T06:11:00.000-07:00

Ginny McGovern and Carolyn Scali led the pumpkin planting efforts of the St. Jude School First Graders. Little hands were certainly busy!! Thanks Ginny and Carolyn!

Mission Accomplished!!!

2009-05-31T17:16:00.000-07:00

What a fantastic day... the weather was perfect, families were together, and the garden is now complete! Thanks to everyone's hard work, our garden is now a reality with peppers, onions, tomatoes, cucumber, and pumpkins to follow shortly. Here is a photo recap of the day, start to finish!

Finally, this blog wouldn't be complete without a picture of our little gardeners!

Farmer Jones Visits The Garden!

2009-05-31T16:39:00.000-07:00

On Monday, May 26th, Jamie Jones from Jones Family Farm visited the St. Jude First Grade class for a tour of the garden. Farmer Jones spent about an hour with the children teaching them about soil, the importance of sun and water, and sharing a little about life on the farm.

Jamie Jones is a sixth-generation farmer from Jones Family Farm in Shelton, CT. Their 400-acre farm offers seasonal crops such as strawberries, blueberries, pumpkins and Christmas trees. They have also recently opened their own winery; please visit their link at http://www.jonesfamilyfarms.com/

The children had an opportunity to hold seeds of various sizes -- lettuce, pumkin & string bean.

The children were also introduced to a 4-year old Christmas tree, and Farmer Jones welcomed questions from the class. It was a fun and educational day, and we appreciate the visit!

The Fun Begins!!

2009-05-21T17:35:00.001-07:00

What a fantastic day! The weather was beautiful, the kids had a half day of school, so we decided to put them to work! Today's project was to haul landscaping stone for the garden border, and to paint the boards that would surround the garden. The children didn't disappoint, and they worked so hard!! All in all, everyone had a great time, and we got quite a bit accomplished.

Once the children were dismissed from class, they had a picnic lunch in the playground. From there they lined up and headed over to the garden.

Fr. Skip did a great job prepping the area... the boards were neatly layed out waiting to be painted, and the area for stone was clearly marked.

The children were organized into two groups... half were assigned to painting for 30 minutes, the other half moved landscaping stone. Everyone worked together so well, and we accomplished the job in a few short hours. What follows are a few pictures of the fun day we all had together...

The weather couldn't have been better, and we look forward to more fun days ahead in the garden!

St. Jude School Garden... The Beginning

2009-05-12T18:28:00.000-07:00

The First Grade Class at St. Jude School in Monroe, CT now has a garden to call their own! Thanks to the efforts of Fr. Skip, dedicated parents, and the support of the school administration, their garden is currently underway.

The first crop is scheduled for September, 2009 and will hopefully yield plenty of tomatoes, peppers, onions and cilantro to make several batches of salsa. Also planted will be pumpkins, just in time for Autumn fun.

The St. Jude Building & Grounds Committee selected a prime location that will allow for plenty of sunlight and easy access. The garden is already posing a problem to the local raccoon, however, as it's infringing upon the raccoon's ability to get to the dumpster!

On Tuesday, May 12th, several parents met with the class to share the details.

Maureen Minnick hosted a sychronization exercise with the children, that helped them better understand the process of creating a garden, planting the seeds, and harvesting the fruits.

The kids seemed to have a great time with the exercise!!!

Everyone then took a trip outside to see the garden IN PROGRESS! Fr. Skip met us and explained what the garden would look like, showed where everything would be planted, and explained the steps that needed to be complete.

Several parents and Mrs. Cassin joined us outdoors, and garden gloves were presented to each of the children!

The children will get a chance to use their gloves on Thursday, May 21st when we begin preparing the soil for planting. Information regarding this event will be distributed to the class parents... please check back to this blog for more pictures and updates, or contact Christine Peterson for project details (christine.peterson@snet.net).