Killing frost

So Mother Nature tricked me again. This is a photo of what was a cucumber seedling last Saturday. A late frost came through and wiped out all the seedlings I planted. Oh well...
Just have to start over.

Seedlings

I came in on Saturday and planted over one hundred seedlings including: three kinds of tomato, four kinds of peppers (hot and sweet), three kinds of cucumbers (slicing and pickling), two kinds of eggplant, cabbage, and kale. I also planted two kinds of pole beans. Luckily the courtyards here have a beach grass type of plant growing that every spring the custodians crop. There were plenty of cuttings around to use as mulch over the beds. This will help keep down weeds and retain moisture from evaporation.

Seeds and sprouts

Today the first spinach and lettuce sprouts showed their heads, and I planted some more seeds including: sage, chamomile, oregeno, cilantro, dill, parsley, basil, chives, and echinacea.

Smaller bed

Today I turned over a new, smaller bed for herbs. Irrigation is starting to be an issue because there is no spigot in this courtyard. My solution for now is to run a very long hose from the custodian's closet down the hall. It's not perfect, but it works.

Poacher

As I was working in my classroom this morning I heard a squeak outside my window. When I looked on the ground there was a falcon, of all possible visitors, on the ground clearly covering something it had preyed upon, which Mr. Nicsaji told me is called mantling. About a month or so ago I found the feathers of a cardinal scattered about a corner of the courtyard. I had no idea what could have gotten in the courtyard and taken a cardinal, but now I know. The falcon lay on the ground for a few moments, and when it felt safe enough it stood up and very efficiently began plucking its prey, which was a sparrow. It finally recognized my presence as I tried to take a photo and I ducked, held the camera above my head, and got this photo that is blurry because I shot it through the fake snow on my window. The falcon can be seen at the bottom of the shot and you can almost make out the sparrow in its talons.