The End of Garden N Grow

We gathered buckets of produce. Then we went in the church to talk about what makes a scientist and to be scientific. We use the metallic mulch as an example of an experiment. From there we designed our experiment and will be able to tell if we prove our theory.
We ate ladybug cookies and bugs on a log. Then we went outside for ladybug toss and races.
This has been a wonderful experience for me. I have learned so much and I enjoyed each day. The kids were fabulous. They were smart and ready to Garden and Grow!

What's new?

On July 29th we learned how new plants are created. We talked about selection from seed as in the russet potato, cross pollination and mutants. Examples were given of many new vegetables and the kids were able to design their own creation. They were to explain how there plant was improved. They were very creative!
The harvest was great with peppers,zucchini and cucumbers.The banana bread was good.

Where does all the food go?

Today we visited the Metropolitan Lutheran Ministries Food Bank off of Vivion Road We took two buckets of produce to donate. The volunteer had us put all the tomatoes in one box, the cucumbers in another and the squash and other produce in another. She took us to the food and commodities room and told us they were an emergency food bank only. She explain how much each person gets if the have run out of food. The director said that last year they were serving about 25 families but this year the total has grown to about 100. We were given a list of other food banks in the Northland.
We went back to the church and weeded. For snack we had Chocolate Zucchini Cake and apples.

What's it worth?

On Wednesday, July 22, we calculated the worth of the produce we are growing. It was hard at time to figure the amount of produce times the price per pound that the grocery stores would charge. We had lots of produce to calculate. A big job weel done.
We had pineapple zucchini bread for snack and played ladybug toss and had caterpillar races.

Picky! Picky! Picky!

When Peter pick a peck of pickled peppers, he had to be very picky! If he picked them too soon they could be hard and bitter. If he pick them too late they might be too large or mushy. We learned that now is the time to watch your plants. Each plant has a slightly different set of rules to determine when it is mature. One guide is the seed package that give a general amount of days until maturity. The most important rule is vigilant observance of the fruit. Surveillance is important to maturity as well as bugs and diseases. This is the time that the plant is most venerable.
We had lots of cucumbers, some peppers and two of Nate's 8 ball zucchini were ready to be picked and sent home. I took a bunch of cucumbers and one zucchini to the food bank.
For snack we had pineapple/zucchini bread.

The verdict is in

After learning about the insects that can ruin our garden on Monday, we learn about the diseases that can also devastate our garden today. By looking at the conditions of the plant and the other factors such as weather, we can try to detect what's ailing our plant. We are lucky to have plant doctors such as Fred, Jeff and Marlin to help.
The garden had peppers, cucumbers and zucchini to be picked. The Food bank cucumbers were ready to pick. I took 3 cucumbers to the Metropolitan Lutheran Ministries Food Bank. I know there will be more.
We had bugs for snack. Lady beetles(Apples with chocolate chip spots) and ants on a log (Celery with peanut butter and raisins)

Find out what's bugging us

Today we learn about the good and bad insects that inhabit our gardens. Knowing what to look for is essential in keeping our vegetables producing. We learned by identifying the different mouthparts of the insects we can tell what kind of bug did the damage. We can also be proactive by looking for the bugs and its eggs.
The garden is coming along very well. The banana peppers were looking good.
We ate 'dirt and bugs' for snack. (Crushed chocolate graham crackers with chocolate sprinkles(ants), Gummy worms and raisins(beetles).