Students returned in January to find blankets of snow covering raised beds, serving as an insulator and providing warmth and protection to our garden from the harsh winter temperatures. Earlier in the fall, 2nd graders removed runners from strawberry plants in order to concentrate more energy into the main plant before the onset of cold weather. Sage was harvested from the herb garden in November and 1st graders pulled the leaves from its woody branches in preparation for the Thanksgiving feast. 5th graders cut vines from tepees, removed the last of the summer vegetables for the composter, turned the soil, and added compost to raised beds. A big thank you to all of the students who helped put the Unquowa garden to bed for the winter.

In an effort to conserve water, a rain barrel was installed near the butterfly garden. Rain barrels are a great way to collect and recycle water on rainy days. It is attached to a nearby gutter and has a hose with an on/off valve for easy use by students and teachers for watering nearby beds. One rainy weekend last fall, it filled up with 75 gallons of water! Special thanks to Mr. Doug for installing it.

The PreK 4 children toured the Unquowa garden in early October and discovered giant zucchini blossoms, rainbow colored Swiss Chard, strawberry plants, and arugula.  Students crushed leaves of parsley, oregano, and chocolate mint between their fingers to compare smells, pulled up heirloom French Breakfast radishes, and even picked a giant sunflower for their science center.  Upon returning to the classroom they created lovely arrangements of marigolds, nasturtium, and lavender for the dining room.  The children also sampled radishes and harvested sunflower seeds which they will save and plant next spring.  It was a very busy day in the garden for PreK 4.

Many students at Unquowa had the opportunity to visit Patti Popp at Sport Hill Farm during the months of September and October. Patti shared with students the rewards, challenges, and responsibilities of running an organic farm. Students toured through fields of sunflowers, Swiss Chard, brocolli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, kale, and other fall vegetables that thrive in cool weather. With small shovels and rakes in hand, they dug up fingerling potatoes and were delighted at their interesting shapes and sizes. Lessons were further extended at school in the dining room. Chef Dan shared interesting facts about potatoes and students observed many varieties including purple Peruvian, russet, pear, and Yukon gold. They learned that a potato is a tuber full of potassium and vitamin C and that the average American eats 140 pounds of potatoes per year. Lower school students sampled potato pancakes and the 8th graders assisted Chef Peter in preparing his famous “fat fries” for lunch. Thank you, Patti Popp, Chef Peter, and Chef Dan, for providing students with hands-on experiences and valuable lessons about this interesting seasonal vegetable. We look forward to resuming field experiences to Sport Hill Farm in the spring.

Students at Unquowa have been very busy this spring preparing raised beds and planting the garden. Each class added compost to their garden area and learned that growing certain combinations of vegetables, herbs, and flowers together is called companion planting. This organic method can help control insects and lead to higher yields. Students have also been helpful in maintaining the garden. Most recently, the 5th graders paired up with the PreK 4 “lunch bunch” and helped remove rocks, weeds, and add additional compost to the large tepee area.

Come tour our garden. Most plants are labeled for easy identification. There are raised beds of lettuce and scallions, radishes and spinach, sugar snap peas and parsley, arugula and cucumbers, and strawberries. There is a large bed of fragrant herbs that the PreK 4 and Kindergarten children have especially enjoyed sampling this spring and even pots of Yukon Gold potatoes sprouting. In addition, be on the lookout for Kentucky Wonder pole beans, red scarlet runner beans, and purple hyacinth beans germinating beneath the tepees.

Thank you to all of the students and teachers who made the success of this year’s garden possible!

The Unquowa School has a lovely espalier pear tree located in the garden area directly across from the butterfly garden. It was given by the Unquowa class of 1990 in memory of their classmate Todd Montanaro. An espalier is a fruit tree or ornamental shrub that is trained to grow in a flat plane and in a well defined pattern. Espalier plants are especially ideal for small spaces and creating boundaries. Special thanks to Jan Engstrom, who pruned our pear tree and restored its horizontal cordon pattern, and to Doug McCabe, who designed and installed a beautiful cedar trellis to help maintain its shape.

Students at Unquowa are learning first hand that one way to recycle food and garden waste is through composting.  Every Friday after lunch a group of students delivers a bucket of food scraps, mostly fruit, vegetables, coffee grounds, and egg shells, to our compost bin.  These high nitrogen materials are combined with carbon rich materials such as dry leaves, straw, and cornstalks and transformed into organic matter through the work of microorganisms.  Water and oxygen are also important in order for decomposition to take place.  Students sprinkle water on the pile as needed and add oxygen by stirring the food scraps in with an aerator.

Compost improves the structure of soil, provides nutrients to plants, and encourages the growth of beneficial organisms.  It is perfect for amending the soil in the spring and as a fertilizer for vegetables, herbs, and flowers.  Composting helps the environment by reducing the amount of food waste that goes to the landfill.  It teaches children personal responsibility and how to be good stewards of the earth.  Students at Unquowa are eagerly waiting for leaves, plant clippings, egg shells, and food scraps to transform into rich organic compost.

The Unquowa garden has been put to bed for the winter.  In November, thanks to Mrs. Faulkner’s 5th graders, the last of the summer vegetable plants were removed, vines were pulled from tepees, and the sage harvested for our annual Thanksgiving feast.  Perennial herbs were cut back, cuttings composted, and the soil turned.  Mulch was added to lavender beds and a layer of straw to the herbs to provide additional protection from harsh winter temperatures.

If you had toured our garden in the fall, you would have likely seen students picking fresh vegetables and herbs for Chef Peter and Chef Dan.  There were yellow cherry tomatoes, tomatoberries, and a volunteer heirloom tomato surrounded by marigolds and large pots of nasturtium.  Marigolds and nasturtium are considered beneficial because they protect many plants from garden pests.  There were also raised beds of lettuce, parsley, and Swiss chard, and a tepee of Italian green beans and cucumbers.  Our herb garden had many varieties including basil, sage, oregano, thyme, rosemary, and chives.  A student favorite was chocolate mint.  There was even a large tepee covered with birdhouse gourds, heavenly blue morning glories, and scarlet red runners…a perfect hideaway for reading a book.

We look forward to returning to the garden in the spring.  Two new raised beds have been assembled and filled with topsoil to provide additional space for teachers and students.  Our program emphasizes sustainable practices including composting, mulching, and organic methods of pest control.  It provides students with hands-on experiences in planting, nurturing, and harvesting and gives them many opportunities to observe nature’s cycles.  Gardening is a wonderful way to help children connect to their environment and foster a lifelong love of nature.

Picking potatoes at Sport Hill Farm.

This year PreK 3-8th grade students will have the opportunity to visit Patti Popp at Sport Hill Farm and learn first hand where many of the vegetables served at lunch are grown.  In the Fall, 3rd and 4th graders picked a mixture of cutting lettuces for the salad bar, 1st and 5th grade buddies dug up 100 pounds of potatoes, and PreK 3 learned about chickens and collected eggs from the chicken coop.

Patti Popp shared with students the responsibilities of running a small farm and the benefits of eating seasonal organic vegetables.  She led them on tours that included walking through fields of beets, Swiss chard, kale, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, eggplants, and other fall vegetables.  Students also visited a greenhouse filled with trays of seedlings and a late crop of tomato plants and walked through raised bed gardens of fragrant herbs and flowers.

Field experiences were extended at school by Chef Peter and Chef Dan who reinforced many concepts in nutrition including the health benefits of eating fresh locally grown produce.  Students assisted in the preparation of fresh candy cane beets and enjoyed sampling and comparing the tastes of grated raw beets and roasted beets.  They also separated the beet greens from their veins and sampled this delicious fall vegetable sauteed with fresh garlic and olive oil.

We look forward to resuming field experiences to Sport Hill Farm in the spring.  Thank you Patti Popp, Chef Peter, and Chef Dan for providing students with valuable lessons about the food production cycle and hands-on experiences harvesting and preparing fresh seasonal food.