May 28th meeting

Not all of our gardeners are fair- weathered! Before braving the elements to do some gardening we looked at mass flow in plants by putting some flowers and celery into colored water. (here is the group showing the colorful plant results)
Outside, we saw evidence of transpiration by doing this: www.shoalwater.nsw.gov.au/education/transpiration_experiment.htm
Then we transplanted the corn, peppers, onions, pumpkin, and basil; and planted the onion sets.

The potato project is going well! Here is the link to the potato council that sent us the potatoes: http://www.potatoesforschools.org.uk/?PageLev1=1&PageLev2=0&PageLev3=0
our Potatoes are currently 56 cm high! In another month we will be able to dig them up and compare them to other gardening groups' potatoes! Some one remind me to get a picture of the potatoes next time!!
we dug up one of the 'accidental' potato plants growing in the compost heap and we saw the little tiny white balls at the end of the roots that will grow into potatoes.

April meeting

Well, quite a bit of time has passed since the last post, but the gardening has been continuing! There have been 3 gardening club meetings since March. We mainly have planted seeds, transplanted some of the seedlings, and done some 'experimenting'.
On this rather dreary Wednesday, we dug holes, evenly dispersed worm compost (with the worms) into each hole added dirt and planted the seeds: sweet peas, morning glories, and nasturtiums. These are the plants that will climb up the teepee. We had a talk by our resident worm expert (seen in the pink coat - you can't see it, but she is holding a big, fat worm!).
We talked a little about soil, and compared soil from the ground to compost by timing and measuring water that passed though each soil. Unfortunately for the experiment, there wasn't any difference, but maybe that means that we have great soil for growing things! We also measured the pH of the soil - neutral (again, good for the soil, but not very interesting for us experimenters) - and what pH means (don't forget! the 'power of hydrogen').

March 5th: 2nd meeting

Wow, you were busy!
LOTS of worms were found in the compost pile - according to Caleb and Rueban hundreds maybe thousands!


There were other little animals, too - like centipedes - we all want to know if they are benficial to the soil like worms. NEXT WEEK we will have the answer to that question with some pictures.

Jenny and Alex got right to work making a plan for the wildlife garden, clearing the ground, and digging a watering hole - which we are hoping to be inhabited by some amphibians!

Laurene and Abby with some help from Simon, constructed 2 fantastic bamboo structures to create the living playspace for the climbing plants grow over. I saw Talitha trying out the TeePee, and it seemed to get her approval.


After some of you arrived, the postman showed up with a package addressed to the 'High Wycomb Home Educators'.
It was from the British Potato Council, program for schools. Sam and Daisy are leading us in a potato growing contest! Here is the info:
http://www.potatoesforschools.org.uk/?PageLev1=8&PageLev2=1&PageLev3=2
If you are interested in growing potatoes, talk to Sam and Daisy at the next meeting.

The wormery was filled with soil/compost/scraps and watered, and everyone added the worms they had found. Finn added his worms and dissappeared, which Cam duelly noted with exhasepration while he added his worms::)

Hanifah, Salimah, Sakinah, and Tayyikah started the no-till pizza garden bed by laying down and watering newspaper...then everyone joined in as we put more newspaper then compost than leaves, than compost then straw on top. Hmmmmm it is not quite as tall as it should be yet, but we have a good start...it will be interesting to see how this method works.

A special thanks to Justine for adding to a tidy look of the garden by trimming the hedge! and to Alex who used his engineering abilities to hook up the garden hose!

Feb 20, 1st meeting

Hello fellow cultivators!
I just thought I would write a brief review of your first meeting:
wellllllllll, I am not a good one to review, because I am just ecstatic that you showed up, you participated, and you said you will come back!
So instead of a 'review' I will call it an account.
We got to see seeds; big and small, sprouted and dormant, yummy (coconut, peanut, lentils) and yblechey (probably the rest!).
We discussed the difference between fruits and vegetables - some of you are very clever and knew the defining differences.
And, finally, we dug up bulbs and planted them along with the seeds in your own pots. Here are some pictures of what's been sprouting while you have been gone:the first picture is of all the pots and the subsequent are close-ups so you can see what is growing. Do you recognize your pot?!

I only had to cover them once to protect from frost, the weather has been pretty mild, but I am sure the growth is a little slow due to the cold.