SoilIt was another beautiful Spring afternoon - perfect for gardening. Regina tried out another Junior Master Gardener lesson on the kids to see how receptive they would be to the program. She talked to them about different types of soil - sand, silt, and clay. She showed them examples and then the kids did an activity. All the kids except kindergarten pretended they were sand particles and they stood really far apart. The kindergartners pretended they were water and could easily run through the sand particles. Then the older kids got closer together and pretended they were silt. The kindergartners could still get through, but not so easily. Finally, the older kids got really close together and the kindergartners could not find a way through. Aren't we so lucky to have clay soil here in Virginia ;-)
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Divide and Multiply GardenThe Divide and Multiply garden is coming along nicely. Many of the plants that we planted in the fall are coming up. We had a number of new Spring donations. The Deal family donated a Star Magnolia, rhododendron, and wedgewood blue lilac. Mr. Cluff, Sheridan Horne's grandfather, donated a crape myrtle. Regina showed the kids how to find the crown of the plant's roots and talked to them about the importance of not planting the trees/shrubs too deep. We also had a large number of perennials to plant. Thank you to all the families that made donations. The kids had a good time planting everything and the garden is going to be gorgeous!
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Vegetable Fruit & Herb GardenThe vegetable and herb seeds that we planted are starting to pop up already! The strawberry plants have flowers and the cabbages have new growth.
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Critter CornerThere are lots of caterpillars around.
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Coming Up
Weather permitting we'll learn about "fertilizing". Then we'll fertilize the garden and mulch it.
Southern Exposure Seed Exchange is located in Mineral Virginia and emphasize plant varieties that perform well in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast regions. They do extensive germination and purity testing to ensure they always provide the highest quality possible. As part of their mission, they promote seed saving and traditional plant breeding.
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Vegetable gardening is a fun and rewarding way to learn about nature and healthy food. That's why we Bonnie Plants started the Bonnie Plants Cabbage Program. Through the program, millions of students have learned about gardening.
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