This is a weekly look at what is happening in the school garden to assist teacher educators engage their students in agriculture. It can be used by garden students of all ages however!
Have you been using the Growing Teachers Throughout the Seasons guidebook to assist you with your growing?
Want to learn what Growing Teachers Throughout the Seasons (GTS) is? Check out the Guidebook HERE and the 20 Online Modules HERE! It is a great way for a teacher to learn how to engage their kiddos in agriculture in a data driven and teacher tested method based on the academic calendar.
Outside in the raised beds:
There are some tasks we are looking to get started outdoors this week if possible. Some action items for those who are using GTS:
- Make sure that you have your seed for spinach and kale as those will be planted soon.
- Make sure you have your season extension garden cover and low tunnels good to go as we need them for the cold overnights.
This Week Outdoors
- We have not gotten much rain at all in the past couple of weeks and we have the return of warm weather. Make sure to go outside to the raised beds and give the plants a good watering at the beginning of the week and again on Friday before you leave for the weekend.
- Otherwise we have some good growing weather this week!
- You may be getting a harvest now, Send me pics of your produce!!
- You may or may not need to cover with season extension garden cover during the week, but I do recommend you use the season extension garden cover for the upcoming weekend based on the forecast.
If you have any transplants that need to go outside, wait until mid-day to put them out, water them in deeply, then cover the raised bed with season extension garden cover.
Here is a quick and engaging video with information on best varieties to seed or plant directly.
Inside in the Aerogarden:
Hopefully your Aerogarden herbs are doing great. Let me know if you have any questions and feel free to send me some pics! Any CCS teachers who need supplies should contact Katie.
Aerogarden has some great information on planting on their website. CLICK HERE for their product manual website.
Click here for the Aerogarden planting guide for herbs –> herb_tending_and_harvesting_guide
Inside under LED lights.
Our November Seed Starting is going to be
Make sure you have all of the pots, seed starting mix, lights, cord and timers needed for indoor planting. We can direct sow cilantro in 2″ pots for either growing and harvesting indoors or for transplanting outdoors. I have a video below that will help you with direct sowing seeds in pots.
- Even though the video shows kale being planted, the technique is the same for bok choy.
- Remove the humidity dome after germination.
- Thin to one seedling per pot as shown in the video.
Are you getting ready to harvest? Here is a video for safe harvest and storage.
Let me know what questions you have! Make sure you engage your kiddos in the process. Looking forward to a wonderful Ag in the Classroom season!