We're getting a high tunnel!

As if the title didn't give it all away, we've got some exciting news around here and have spent the last few weeks jumping up and down with excitement. In fact, we can't stop daydreaming of hosting students from Boyd and Pipkin and all the vegetables we can grow year-round in our (yet to arrive) high tunnel. Aside from the produce we'll be able to grow, all of the different ways we can use the garden to accompany what students are learning in class will be endless.

If you're on our volunteer email list, stay tuned. You'll probably be receiving an email invite to help assemble the high tunnel. If you're not on our volunteer list and would like to be, please let us know. It takes a village to raise a, um, high tunnel. Isn't that the saying?

Since it's turned colder and there isn't much growing in the garden, we haven't been able to regularly hold classes at the garden site. It seems the kids are just as eager as we are to get back in the garden. Last week's lesson with the Kindergarten class at Boyd focused on community and culture, a unit they're currently discussing in class. When the kids found out we were only going to be talking and discussing, one student disappointedly remarked that she'd "rather be shoveling compost at the garden," which they'd done a few weeks prior. I'm constantly amazed at how quick these kids are! Give them any task and they can complete it in about half the time you think it'll take. They lined the raised beds with newspaper and helped shovel compost into wheel barrows and then put the compost into the beds. They were able to knock out almost a whole bed--a 48ft. long one at that--in the allotted 25 minutes.

Stay tuned for a post about this weeks Kindergarten lesson: garden journals. This one is going to be so much fun and also useful. We'll be making journals for the kids to write, draw, etc. and reflect on what they've learned after each lesson. I think I'll make one as well. I'm going to need to keep track of all the funny things they say!

Boyd Back to School Bash

I witnessed a little girl throw her fudge pop in the trash so she could grab a handful of cherry tomatoes! Thats right.....fudge pop in trash, with a mad dash to the cherry tomatoes bowl! If only I could have caught that on camera. right? This evening was yet another wonderful event held in Washington Park.

It was around 70 degrees with plenty of shade. The food

was great, the music was even better. Our very own Dr. Chris Craig was rock-n on the Guitar and vocals. We took a basket of fresh vegetables harvested from the school garden. The children were so excited to see and

hold the veggies they planted at the end of the school year. They were so sweet

and curious about the flavor of their veggies.

We had a lot of parents ask questions about the garden project and were able to meet some new teachers that I hope to see in the garden. This evening was wonderful. DSTA was there helping out along with the neighborhood association and Caring Communities. It was a great experience.

Concert in the Park!

This was a wonderful evening. Midtown Neighborhood has a concert in the park series where the public is invited to come listen to local music, enjoy hot dogs and lemonade and hang out in Washington Park. The park is one of Springfield's oldest city parks.

The neighborhood association decided that SUAC would be a worthy cause for the evenings donations, so we went to introduce the DIRT project and the Midtown School Garden. Above: their is a picture of melissa and a student from Boyd collecting donations. She helped plant the potatoes and tomatoes at the end of the school year last year! All donations from that evening went to the Midtown School Garden. Which totaled $87.oo which is 1/5 the cost of our future hoop house!!! Thank you Midtown, the evening was a blast. Good music and great people.

We have a fence.

Oh,We had so many brave soles help work on the fence. Including my husband Adam, Thank you so much. However, a lesson learned.....don't cut the labor cost for carpentry out of the budget. Last month the four grounds men from Cox came over to the garden and worked from 6am-12 for two days on this beautiful fence. The men had to start so early because the temperatures were in the 90s by 9am. BIG Thank You to Barry Harter and his crew for all their hard work! The fence looks great!!!

A work day much needed.

Well, all you wonderful people that showed

up for this workday should take a moment

and pat yourself on the back! We are ALMOST

there (as for fixtures in the garden). This evening we had groups weeding, painting the shed, building the fence, eating, tieing up tomatoes, roofing the shed and multiple games of hide and seek. The pictures say all! We are planning another workday- which now I am calling it a work PARTY.

When: Thursday, August 26 from 6-9pm

We will be focused on the gardens! Lets get them ready for a fall planting. School will be back in session and the kids will be itching to get their hands dirty, so lets help organize a little so they have a fresh start for fall.

The YMCA summer Odyssey group

During this summer a group of children joined Melissa and Adam in the garden for planting, tasting and well.....lots of weeding. There was an average of 300 kids once a week. We were amazed at the work these children accomplished. We watched the plants grow and the vegetables ripen. With this being the first season for the garden there was a lot of learning. This fall that will continue. We are learning what the soil is like, what grows well-where and most of all people are slowly developing a sense of ownership. Within this YMCA group there were a few BOYD students. I look forward to seeing them this fall. Big THANKS to the YMCA for encouraging this program.

Recent media coverage!

We are so excited for school to start! Thank you to everyone who has been apart of the gardens first season. Now- EAT THOSE VEGGIES!!!

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