First "Garden Club" Meeting

We had our first FA Hamilton "Garden Club" meeting at recess with some grade 4's and a few 5's. I had about 20 or so kids show up and I let them make a sign-up sheet for me. We gathered some tools and they did a remarkable job sharing them and rotating duties. They are way more excited about weeding than I thought they would be... I can't imagine the excitement when we start planting, making crafts and starting seedlings. The next few weeks look promising with some mulch to lay out, a composter and some spring bulbs.

There are a pile of grants I need to apply for, which is very exciting and then the kids and I will meet inside to plan some winter activities and spring plans. I think we're going to grow mushrooms and start an aquaponics system indoors. 

We made a "Weeds Point System" so the kids kept running back
over to me asking how much the weeds were worth. 

Eradicating the garlic mustard over in the future shed location.

Taking the bolted lettuce out of the raised beds,  these girls
wanted me to see every single plant they pulled out

Friendly ladybugs in the garden. We found quite a few worms and other insects.
 Even if some of the kids don't like handling them, they watch curiously
over the shoulders of the "brave" ones.

Picking some ripe tomatoes, we should have
enough to make 1-2 jars of sauce.

For now, its all about keeping it simple. My own garden is about experimenting and getting heavy yields of exotic vegetables in a rainbow of colours. What I've learned about this school garden, is that it's all about simplicity, crunchy orange carrots, red tomatoes and sweet green lettuce. Many of these kids have never seen any of these vegetables grow, let alone a rare purple hybrid. I'm hoping that this "simplicity" will inspire mirroring and small steps at home. Or when years have passed by and they recall growing vegetables at school, they'll grow their own, or ask their parents to buy from the farmers' market.

We meet again on Friday, more weeding to be done then.