April Showers

How Many Shovels Does It Take?

We were back at Middlebrook Farm School today to take advantage of the beautiful weather, and we were able to get a lot accomplished.  One thing I was proud of today was figuring out exactly how many shovels full of dirt it takes to fill one of our 8'x4' boxes (see, we can include math).  Here it is:
Eleven shovels full of dirt in each wheel barrow multiplied by ten wheel barrows full to fill a box equals one hundred and ten shovels full of dirt for every box (I think my math is correct).

We had a lot of help today from Maryn who did some transplanting and irrigation work.

We had some leftover lumber so we built a garden box for her and her sister to play with.

My main goal today was to build two more 8'x4' boxes and get them filled (see the above word problem for how many licks it takes to get to the center of that Tootsie Pop).  

And here is the view from above.

While I worked on building and filling the new boxes and Maryn worked on watering, Heather worked on lining our pallet composter with narrow wire mesh so we can hold in the material.

We also reorganized the composting situation to give it a more efficient work flow and better access to the spout on the front of the basin under the black composting tumbler.  Inside there collects the drippings from the compost called "compost tea" and this is some magical stuff for the garden.

While I was on the roof getting the above aerial shot of the garden I took a few others.  Ever since I first started using these courtyards for gardening back in 2007 I have had a vision of working towards a four season harvest plan.  Not that we would be harvesting warm weather crops like tomatoes and eggplants in the middle of winter, but there are crops that can be cultivated through the colder months.  See how it can be done (in Maine of all places!) on Four Season Farm where Barbara Damrosch and Eliot Coleman (any relation to Principal Coleman?) have been nationally recognized for their success at sustainable, year-round agricultural practices.  One thing that would be necessary for this to be successful is a greenhouse, and I have had the perfect spot picked out for one since I first turned over the soil at Middlebrook Farm School.  Here it is...

With southern exposure for ideal sunlight and the possibility to incorporate those windows so students, teachers, and everyone else could see what is happening makes it a spot that is really worth thinking about for a greenhouse.  And from what I hear those sea grasses would not be missed.  It took Mr. Amaral and his crew the last three days to cut those grasses back.

Also, while I was up on the roof, why are there no solar panels on these window structures?

One of the most rewarding parts of working in the garden is being able to sit quietly after getting your hands dirty and take some time to watch it all grow.  We had an extra pallet and some more leftover lumber so we built a bench...

...and here I am trying it out.  It works like a charm and will be a nice spot to have a cup of coffee and ponder the depth and breadth of possibilities coming out of the gardens.

Also, here are some of the things you can watch grow.

One of our earthworm friends.

Radish seedlings (or maybe pak choi cabbage).

Spinach seedlings.

The Brussel sprout plant from last season who seems to want to come back.

Garlic sprouts.

That is about it for today.  Be sure to visit if you are in the neighborhood and give our bench a try.  Also, check out the rest of our Middlebrook Farm School blog posts at www.middlebrook-farm-school.blogspot.com

The Garden Waits For No Woman, Man, Or Their Spring Break

Today our friend Mr. DeSimone delivered a couple yards of nice soil to use in the new garden boxes.  We had to move it into the garden area, but at least it was about 100' closer this time than last August when we built the first four boxes and filled those.  It was much cooler today than in August as well.  Actually it was a perfect day to be outside working in the garden.

Some of the seeds we planted directly last time have started to come up so we should have some spinach and radishes pretty soon.  Some of the seeds we planted indoors and transplanted to bigger cups are waiting patiently for it to get warmer out.

Many of the other seeds we started indoors will soon need to be transplanted to bigger cups as well, probably by the end of the week.  Truly we should be waiting until Mother's Day to plant these outdoors.  I refused to listen to such wisdom for many years and lost many a crop because of my stubbornness.  

So we filled the two new boxes with soil and cleaned up the other boxes a bit to get rid of the dead growth from last season and check closely on some of the plants that seem to want to make a comeback.  There is one Brussels sprout plant we are especially keeping an eye on.  We also checked for grubs and worms who gave us some trouble last season.  

One of my favorite crops to grow over the years has been potatoes.  Everything tastes better when it is fresh picked from the garden, but there is something really amazing about digging in the dirt for potatoes and the flavor of them right out of the earth is like nothing you have ever tasted if all you know is potatoes from the store.  The other bonus is that if you miss any they come back again the next season.

Today we also started putting together the pallet composter (sorry no photo this time) and once we get it lined with wire mesh we can start using it.  The small rotating composter we have been using is doing a good job (no bad smell and it is making "compost tea") with a lot of the scraps from the Culinary Arts classes and will act as a good catalyst for the larger pallet composter.  

We then finished our time today at Middlebrook Farm School planting some other seeds such as carrots, lettuces, peas, and beans.

Our next steps this week are going to be to build some more boxes and get them ready for all those seedlings we have indoors.  Between now and Mother's Day we can hopefully hold off on planting them but also get them outdoors soon on the rolling rack to get some exposure and harden them off before they go in the soil.  

Be sure to visit if you are in the neighborhood and check out the rest of our Middlebrook Farm School blog posts at www.middlebrook-farm-school.blogspot.com    

  

Where We Have Been...Where We Are Going

So, another year and more has passed and there is so much that has happened in that time for our new sustainable living and garden program here at Middlebrook Farm School.  To begin with we go all the way back to the spring of 2013 when Heather Priest was hired to take over the Family & Consumer Science program and begin the new Culinary Arts program for 7th and 8th grade.  Her first question for me was, "Are you going to help me start a garden?" and there was no way I could say no.  Fast forward through our planning and plotting during the 2013-2014 school year to August 2014 when we built our first four garden boxes.  This included an automatic irrigation system.

We had a bit of a late start with our seedlings, but Heather and her kids were able to harvest some of the kale, Swiss chard, carrots, and collard greens for their work in the kitchen

As the fall and winter approached we wanted to try and protect our crops from the wind and snow by building covers for the garden boxes.

These were somewhat successful, but this hard winter beat them down a bit.  We definitely learned a few things about how we will try these next winter.  A four season harvest is our ultimate goal.  

That brings us to the present moment.  Heather, Principal Coleman, and I have been working over the course of this school year to design and create what will be the new sixth grade program that will replace Family & Consumer Science with this sustainable agriculture and gardening program.  On March 12th we presented our proposal to the Board of Education Curriculum Subcommittee who gave us the go ahead to present to the entire Board of Education on March 26th.  This has been a very exciting process to be a part of developing a new program that has so much potential and many possibilities.  

Another exciting development is our school joining the Connecticut Green Leaf Schools initiative.  This focuses on creating a healthy and productive learning environment at school with the goal that environmental education can create a focus for learning in all content areas and build critical thinking skills.  Middlebrook was recognized as a Green Leaf School on February 15th and Wilton High School was recognized on March 9th.  Here we are at one of our first meetings.

That brings us to the new growing season.  Our seeds have arrived and Heather has made detailed plans about what will be planted and where.

Garlic has begun to sprout...

...and we have Lily as an assistant gardener who is working with us as part of her seventh grade Power of One project.  She came to school on a Sunday to help us start seedlings and set up our new seedling grow room.

And speaking of seedlings, they are already well on their way and will need transplanting soon.

This weekend's project was to construct some of the new garden boxes and repair trellises.  

This morning we put the boxes together in the courtyard as well as a pallet composter.

That about brings us up to date with what we are up to here at Middlebrook Farm School.  Please check us out if you are in the neighborhood and I will be sure to update our blog more regularly.  If you have any questions please do not hesitate to ask.