Earth Day Gardening

This morning, to celebrate Earth Day, we talked with the children about what they would like to plant in our garden this year.  Here is the list:

eggplant

strawberries

poppies

seeds

roses

vegetable seeds

water

squash

celery

dirt and flowers

After circle time, it was out with the old, in with the new.

We made room for all of the things we wanted to plant by either moving plants away, or throwing them into our green waste container. These children are transporting a huge plant to the back garden bed, where it will have more room to thrive.

The container garden has seen better days...this brussel sprout plant from last year is covered in aphids! 

There, now it has room for more stuff.

The children topped off the old containers with new soil. 

While the children were napping, I went to the nursery to pick up seeds and seedlings.

The first group of children, Be, Ro, and Za, took out the tulips from the brick planters and replaced them with cosmos, lilacs, and pansies (our compromise for poppies and roses). 

We will save the tulip bulbs for next year. We carefully chopped off the tops and bagged the bulb.

The next group started in on the containers. Here, Sa is planting eggplant seeds.

So helps with zucchini squash seeds.

Ak waters the whole lot.

Next, Ak and Br teamwork on the next container which is to hold the strawberry plants.

Then, Bl, Te, and Ta work on getting the kale plants out of the tire garden to make room for sweet peas.  After all, we have to keep up the food supply for the snails that live under the rim of the tire!

They loosen up the soil and mix in some new soil.

The plant sweet pea seedlings...

...and seeds.

And there is the all important job of watering.

Tomorrow, Gi, Ha and Le will plant the great sunflower garden, as well as our celery and carrot seeds. We have two containers left and I'm so excited to fill them with something!!!

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During our story today, we had talked a bit about the ways we can help the earth (an Earth Day discussion of sorts). When we were planting sweet peas, Ta asked how sweet peas help the planet. I thought about what it would be like to live in a place without the natural beauty of plants and flowers and trees.  I also thought about the deep sense of joy that I feel when I have a sweet pea bouquet, or when I examine the tiny orchid-like flowers on a bean vine, or the feeling of sitting among a lush green garden as opposed to dried weeds.  I think it's so important for children to experience these things in their environment. "It's nice to look at beautiful things" was the only reply I could give Tal in the moment, and that's pretty much the bottom line for me!

(Thank you Katy for the gardening inspiration!)