Back to school in the garden

Back to school can mean facing a garden full of weeds which means the students will be very busy getting their garden back into shape. You can imagine what a Florida summer with copious amounts of rain can do to a garden bed and if you had no one to tend the garden while school was out… Well, you get the picture. These students have a list of chores to do. But that doesn’t mean it can’t be fun!

Why, look at these weed warriors under way. They are serious about their business of weeding–even discovered a bit of wildlife along the way. One unhappy toad escaped before I could photograph him but this slug and snail had to be relocated. It’s better than poisoning with pesticides, right? For both the insects and the humans. As organic gardeners, we don’t want them to suffer and we don’t want our bodies to become sick. Ewww… Definitely not.

Remove bad bugs

While slugs and snails are not our friends in the garden, lizards are okay!  When the students accidentally unearthed this egg, they were careful to move it to a safe spot for hatching. I’m sure Momma will find him!

Tossing old mulch and weeds (without seeds) into the compost pile, the kids know that “growing” dirt is easy and fun and GREAT for our plants.

Garden gear

As good plant caretakers, we do want to give our seeds every advantage in life. However, when working in the garden, it’s important to wear the right gear (and look good doing so!). Covered shoes are also suggested, as are water bottles–especially during the dog days of August. We’ll also have our magnifying glasses on hand to help us scout for pests.

Once we get planting, we don’t want any pesky invaders to ruin our fun. We’ll also be on the lookout for good bugs, called “beneficials.” They help rid our plants of the pesky pests.

This year, the students are considering adding a butterfly garden only far away from the vegetable garden. Caterpillars are very hungry and can eat plants in the blink of an eye. Not really, but it sure does feel that way sometimes! No worries. We can all live in harmony. We’ll simply scout for a nice spot on the other side of the school property. I’m sure they won’t mind. We’re also planning on sunflowers. Wahoo!

Plant warm season crops

And while were outside, we’ll plant a lovely row of climbing beans along the fence line. It’s there, why not put it to good use? Other warm season plants that will go in during the first month of school include tomatoes, peppers, herbs, cucumber, squash, watermelon, corn, and eggplant. Later we can follow with radish, scallions, beets, carrots, broccoli and cabbage. These plants will survive well through the winter months.

If you’re interested in starting a garden, including securing the funds needed, check out my garden funds resource page. You’ll find a wealth of information to get you on the right path.