We welcomed new friends: Cole, Phoenix, and Salvador, and their families. Well, we already knew Phoenix’s family; he is Hudson's younger brother.
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| C. gets to know Banana, the bantam rooster. |
We welcomed 26 baby chicks to our classroom.
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| P. explains the finer points of chick care. |
We started a new routine of feeding the chickens every morning. The children scoop feed into a bucket, and I take it into the chicken pen and pour it into the feeders. The children look with their eyes while I do this.
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| Observing the bantam chickens from scrap lumber benches. |
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| T. scoops feed. |
We know it is time to leave the farm and go to the playground when we board the Playground Train. "Chooga chooga chooga..."
We have sprouted seeds to plant in the fall garden.
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| Lettuce, cabbage, herb, and flower sprouts. |
And, we’ve had lots of hours of focused work indoors.
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| L. introduces the doll baby to Daisy. |
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| H. and P. at work. |
Finally, we have had the incredibly good fortune of having a tree fall down on the farm. I know you are wondering: how could this be good fortune? Oh, in so many ways!
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| Fallen hackberry. |
1) It was a hackberry.
2) It was blocking the morning sun from the chicken pen turned garden bed.
3) It fell perfectly, without touching the chicken pen, chicken coop, fence, or even the shade bed.
4)It is now a certainty that this is the year that our first Hugelkultur will be installed!
What’s Hugelkultur, you ask? Here are some links that explain it all for you:
http://www.richsoil.com/hugelkultur/
http://www.nwedible.com/2012/03/half-ass-hugelkultur.html
This is what we will be installing on our work day, October 20. Clear your calendar!
Why hugelkultur? It will create a natural retaining wall for soil and rain water that tend to flow down the slope from the back of the farm to the front. It will absorb rainwater and deliver it to the plants that live in the hugelkultur. It will be a natural raised bed that nourishes the plants it hosts as the trees that make its foundation break down. It's the perfect place to mix butterfly and bee-attracting natives, along with the peach tree that was given to us a year ago (and has been living in a pot ever since), and some food plants.
Here's the rub: after assessing all the materials needed to build a hugelkultur, I determined that Joyful Garden's budget could not accommodate its construction this year. And yet, the tree was ready, and delivered itself to us... Enrolled and alumni families: it and Joyful Garden need your help.
Materials needed:
1) A couple yards of dirt; doesn’t have to be great garden soil, as so many nutrient-rich materials go into the base of the hugelkulture. Who can haunt Craigs List Free Stuff for garden or fill dirt, and mobilize those with pickup trucks to go pick it up? Alternatively, who is very persuasive and could talk one or more of the local garden supply places (Whittlesey, Natural Gardener, Geo Growers, even Lowe’s and Home Depot) to solicit donations or discounted dirt? Another alternative: can anyone afford to be generous and contribute to purchasing this material.
2) Chainsaws and the know-how to use them safely. We have a standard-sized one, and a bitty one. This work will take place on the 20th, before children are present.
3) Wheelbarrows, shovels, and strong backs. Here at Joyful Garden on the 20th.
4) Mulch. I will try to get a free delivery from city contractors. But, it wouldn't hurt to ask about this when talking to garden suppliers.
So, if you have the power of persuasion, please step up. We’ll divide up the local suppliers amongst those who can charm the dirt right out of the garden center. Those with pickup trucks, give us an idea of your general availability, because the free stuff on Craig’s List can go fast and is first come, first served. Let me know if you have a chainsaw to bring on the 20th (protective eyewear and clothing is mandatory, of course). And, please plan to be here on October 20th to make magic!
Thank you so much!
