Planting Day

Now, where do we start? Our last meeting before school ends in the Spring is held to prepare the beds and plant the vegetables the students have raised from seed. Seven of the beds have soil and are raked and ready to go. We have our 4-H leaders, our regular volunteers, plus Mr. C. and Mrs. S. on hand to help guide the students.

Some students start with those tomatoes and peppers already grown tall and ready to transplant.

The group decides to devote the two beds on the far end to just tomatoes, and the next one up to only peppers. Four other beds will be planted by the teams according to their garden plot designs. One bed is left over for flowers, just for fun.

Mr. P. talks with Jared about where the best place to plant the cabbages would be. They have to leave a lot of room, so maybe on the other end? Mitch joins them and they decide that cucumber would be best at the very end of the bed.

Mrs. S. helps Mitch get the sunflowers and cabbages planted at the east end of the bed, and Mrs. W. helps Dylan with his garden plot. Radishes and carrots will go in here.

Brandon works with Dylan on their bed.

Alison is headed towards her team’s bed to plant the turnips. You can tell by looking at her knees that she’s been hard at work already.

Mrs. S. helps to tie the newly transplanted tomatoes to their stakes. It’s always windy here at our school, so the stakes will help support the plants. Later, we’ll have to have something sturdier for them to grow into.

Mrs. P. & Mrs. W. stop to check the progress. The pepper plants have all been protected by plastic cups cut by kids to form and ring and remove the bottoms. The rings will help protect against cut worms.

Here kids are readying the last bed to plant with a flat of flowers purchased from a local greenhouse. Slow and steady, one shovelful at a time. It takes a lot of soil to fill an 8 x 4 foot bed.

Mr. C. supervises as Teirra and Jared are smoothing out the soil. Teirra’s older brother has stopped by and he’s helping to tamp down the edges by using the handle of the shoves.

Dylan comes to help tamp the edges and Teirra gets a turn also.

Just about perfect. What a great work crew!

Cedar Beds -- Construction Day

North Country Master Gardeners, Mr. J.and Mr. P. along with Mr. C. & son arrive with power tools to begin construction of the cedar beds.

Mrs. P. has her truck full of lumber, so everyone pitches in to help carry in boards. Soon the 3^rd grade hallway is filled with the wonderful aroma of fresh cedar boards.

Parent volunteer Mrs. B. and 4-H leader, Mrs. P. help guide students as they work in the hallway, or back in the classroom, transplanting tomatoes which will soon be placed out in the new garden beds.

Students help to move the tomato seedlings which are now back from the High School where

they’ve grown so huge that they have outgrown their small pots. It will be good to get them out into the garden when the beds are done.

Taking a turn with Mr. C. drilling the holes to attach the “legs” which will be sunk into the ground to stabilize the beds.

Local Area Ag Development Agent, Kevin Schoessow located a source of soil that he has soil test from. It's a mix of top soil from various sources with a sandy loam texture. Yellow River Supply (Cemstone) donates almost 8 yards of soil which were delivered in a big pile.

Kids & volunteers get busy with shovels and buckets to fill each bed.