Shada, Kylie, and Leslie made cages for protection for the plants. They used bamboo sticks and chicken wires to do so. This was done so birds wouldn't pick on the plants. They said it fun working with classmates and that it was good that they got to stand up because they've been sitting all day. They said it was annoying that their hands got cold and that it was hard to bend the wires. Jasper, Liam, and Manuel transplanted seedlings from 6 packs to 4 inch pots, they used dirt, pots, and their hands. They did this because the seedlings were getting rootbound in the 6 packs and needed more room to grow out their roots. They said it was pretty easy, that they met new people, that the transplanting process was interesting, and that because it was simple, they could have interesting conversations as well, which they did. However they said planting the seedlings at the proper depth for them to thrive was challenging and that they had to redo a few at some point. They also had to be very careful not to damage the seedlings and their roots.
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Gael had the task of flipping compost the tool he used was a pitch fork. The reason for doing this was to allow bacteria in the compost to get more oxygen so it can keep on breaking down the compost. It was fun because it was a simple task. It was challenging flipping the pile inside out. The second task was transfer lettuce celery and chamomile into the garden with a trowel. By doing this it helps the plant because it gives them for space to grow their roots. Something that was fun about this was moving the plants from one place to another. One thing that was challenging was being on your knees for a long time. Maya and Kayla's group had the task of cleaning out pots using a hose and a brush. By doing this they remove any fungus that was in the pot and that could harm the plants. They thought that it was fun and satisfying hosing the dirt off of the pots. Something they found annoying was getting their pants wet from the hose. The second task was to plant Lettuce, Celery and Chamomile and they dug holes for the plants and the tools they used were a trowel and bone meal and then covered the whole with dirt. By giving the plants bone meal it gives the plants more food to eat and more nutrients. The had fun digging the wholes. Something that was difficult was getting the lettuce out of the six pack. Katie and Sherlyn's group had the task of doing moth traps. By making these traps the moths don't dig into the apples on the tree. They found this task interesting because they had to put small plastic pieces into the traps and it attracts the moth making the moth think that there is a female moth in the trap. Something that was challenging for them was folding the traps into a correct form. The second task they had to do was planting seeds in a six pack container they used 10 containers of six packs and they put 3 seeds in each hole of the six pack and they planted butter-crunch seeds. By planting butter-crunch seeds in gives more of a variety of plants to the garden and once harvested you could eat it. Something interesting and fun was that they had to deal with the wind blowing the seeds away. Something that was difficult was the wind because you had to make sure that the wind didn't blow away the seeds and the soil. Kylie and Leslie used hand forks to harvest potatoes. They also planted Cosmos and put bone meal in the soil to put nutrients into soil. They said it was hard to dig because the holes had to be deep and said they also enjoyed digging. Liam and Yu Xin broke up cover crops and their roots to get them to decompose. They did this to put more nutrients into the soil. They said it was challenging to pull the roots out because it took a lot of strength to do so. They also planted Lettuce and Chamomile using a trowel. They said it was fun for them to see their work after they finished. Luke and Shada cleaned the pond with a butterfly net. They did this to keep the pond clean and to prevent further damage. They said it was interesting to wade in the pond. They also planted Starflower Borage and said it was a good workout. Manuel and Jasper turned the compost piles over so it would all get exposed to the oxygen it needs to decompose. They also pulled out plants that were invading the space of the Garlic plants to give the Garlic plants the space they need to grow. Maya and YuXin's first task was to chop n crops. They used hedge shears and they Chop n’ drop cover crop. They cut up all of the cover crop and put it in a barrel for compost. The cover crops are to put nutrients into the soil and it’s being used to compost. Something that was fun for them was using the hedge shears. They liked the work because it was a good workout and it was good for their hands and arms. Something that was challenging for them was that it was a bit physically demanding for their hands and arms. Their second task that they were given was to give bone meal to planted seedlings. By giving the plants bone meal it gives them more nutrients and space to grow. Something that they found interesting and fun was digging holes and working with seedlings. Another thing that they found challenging was working with the soil and figuring out depth could be challenging. Jonathan and Kayla’s group was to take off the net from the apple trees; they used scissors to help them take the net off easier and faster. And by doing this it helps the trees grow and it gives the tree more space. Something they found interesting was that it was really relaxing and calming. Something they found challenging was taking off the net because the net was stuck on the branches and it wouldn’t get off easily and there were bees on the tree and it made their job harder. The second task was to plant broccoli seedlings one feet apart from each other and they used a trowel and bone meal for the plants. And Jonathan planted Delphines with a trowel. And by separating them it would give them more space to grow. Something that Kayla and Jonathan found interesting was it was fun because it was a hands on activity. Another thing that they found that was challenging was taking out the plants from the six pack. Katie and Sherlyn’s task was to remove plants with a pointed shovel. They did this because the plants were old and they needed more space to plant new plants. One thing that they thought that was fun was transplanting and planting new plants. One thing that they found challenging was removing the plants because they were really big and stuck to the dirt. The second task they were given was planting seedlings using their hands, trowels and bone meal. By doing this the seedlings have a bigger space to grow and it gives them more nutrients. One thing they found that was fun was that the task was a hands on activity. Another thing that they found really challenging about the task was that they had to be careful and not damage the plants Luke, Leslie, and Shada removed the plastic mesh from the apple trees with their hands and scissors. They did this to give the trees more room to grow. They also transplanted some garlic plants into the garden by digging holes for them, taking the garlic plants out of their pots with their roots, and burying them into the holes. This is done to give the garlic plants more room to grow. Jasper and Liam leveled out the plant beds by using a rake to remove dead plant matter and then raking the soil until the bed was flat, after doing so they also pulled some weeds out. This was all done to prevent future weed growth and to get the plant beds ready for new plants. Manuel and Kylie planted some seedlings and moved some compost around. They did this to keep pests away from plants and moved the compost around to give plants more nutrients. We've moved our weekly updates to Instagram @gatorgarden. Check out what we're learning and doing as we photos posted regularly. See below for past year's work.
Winter in our garden means lots of things. Composting, cover cropping, pruning, fixing and building things, and mulching! We get our fresh wood chip mulch from ArboristNow, a local tree maintenance company that is always ready with a free load of wood chips to spread on our pathways and in our planting beds. Wood chip mulch helps to prevent erosion, suppress weeds, aid in decomposition, retain heat and moisture in the soil, and it smells great! Mulching is always a favorite activity for our most energetic students!
This month our garden was the site of some climate experiments that AP Environmental Science students conducted with the help of Professor of Climatology Andrew Oliphant of San Francisco State University. Professor Oliphant brought some equipment to enable students to measure the carbon flux in different areas in the garden to demonstrate how carbon enters and exits the atmosphere through plants and animals. Our garden provides innumerable opportunities for our students to see science in action!
Mr. Berthiaume and Mr. Tilles teamed up to create a new after-school Club at Gateway. They meet Tuesdays after school, and cook a meal in the outdoor kitchen, and decide on ways to make our school more sustainable. Students take turns bringing recipes from home - so far we've had a month of Asian food, a month of Latin food, and a month of Russian food. And we are actively working to fix our waste problem here at school, starting with educating everyone on putting waste in the right bin. Come join us! September was a busy month in the Garden as we watch the days get shorter. We are lucky here in San Francisco that September and October are sunny and beautiful, and it means we get extra growth on our summer crops like tomatoes and peppers, and we can plant new produce like kale and beets. Meanwhile we're pruning, weeding, and making new areas for next year's plantings. And of course we're cooking healthy food! Check out the photo gallery below to see all of this in action! |
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