Fall Garden Projects.
Summer Clean Up. Before anything can be planted in a fall garden, the debris (and goodies) from a summer garden must be removed. During September 2015 children in the AfterSchool Program (ASP) pulled up carrots and dug up the sweet potatoes that had spent the summer growing underground.
Renewal. Fall is a time to renew garden soil if it has been heavily used over the summer. A garden "rests" when it is planted in a crop that protects it from the elements (wind, rain, and freezing) and puts nutrients back into the soil. Plants that protect and nourish the garden soil are called cover crops.
All four beds (Butterfly, Ladybug, Worm, and Bee) are planted in cover crops this fall. Two legumes--crimson clover and fava beans- add nitrogen back into the soil. Clover is a blessing to pollinators and can survive even hard freezes during the winter. Fava beans not only enrich the soil, bean pods can be harvested about 75 days after planting. Children will learn how to harvest, shell, and prepare the beans for eating.
All four beds (Butterfly, Ladybug, Worm, and Bee) are planted in cover crops this fall. Two legumes--crimson clover and fava beans- add nitrogen back into the soil. Clover is a blessing to pollinators and can survive even hard freezes during the winter. Fava beans not only enrich the soil, bean pods can be harvested about 75 days after planting. Children will learn how to harvest, shell, and prepare the beans for eating.