The 4th Garde Garden Club helped conserve water by placing redwood bark mulch around the trees and plants on the Densmore side of the school.  It not only helps by keeping in moisture but also makes the area look attractive.  By working as a team, we were able to get the job done in no time at all.

We also planted some petunias in the new colorful pot hangers and hung them on the Vintage Gardens fence.  When planting, we were reminded to loosen the roots a bit, dig a hole as big as the root ball and gently cover with more soil.  We watered the pots using reclaimed water from our garden sink that is caught in a bucket under the sink.

Today we recycled pots filling them with potting soil and planted seeds.  We got to pick either zucchini squash, cucumber, marigolds, or cilantro seeds to plants.  We will leave them at school for awhile to observe how they progress.  We also pulled out some of the carrots, washed them off carefully, and ate them.  These carrots were not long; instead they were round.  We planted them at the beginning of winter.  They tasted sweet and crunchy. We also pulled out some radishes but they didn't do well.  They were small and skinny anddidn't round out.  Be sure to visit the Memories photo page for a lot more photos.

Today we learned about using Epsom Salts in the garden.  We learned that Epsom Salts are not like the salt we use on our food.  That salt can kill plants.  Epsom Salt is really magnesium sulfate.  Tomatoes and strawberries become sweeter.  Roses become richer in color and get vibrant blooms.  We used an article from the web called "21 Epsom Salt Garden, "Cheats" You Don't Want to Miss!" at  http://bestplants.com/epsom-salt-garden-cheats/ to learn more ways to use Epsom Salts.  Now we just have to wait and see the results.