Recall in our Garden-Based Learning Newsletter, we solicited success stories from to feature in our newsletter and blog. We are excited to share this Success Story with you. The Geneva Community Center’s Boys & Girls Club is currently working on an after-school gardening project every Wednesday for children ages 10-14. Eight expert gardeners have volunteered to work on a rotating basis with children on a particular aspect of gardening. Some of the expert volunteers include community members and Master Gardeners of the New York State Volunteer Program under the direction of Russ Welser at Ontario County Cornell Cooperative Extension.
The team of gardeners will be growing carrots, lettuce, beets, raspberries,cucumbers, sugar snap peas, summer squash, garlic, chard, radishes, potatoes, and mustard. Visit gardening.cornell.edu for vegetable growing guides. Here are some growing guide examples for the vegetables featured at the Boys & Girls Club garden: Carrots Beets Cucumbers
The expert gardeners will also engage the children in fun, garden-related activities such as learning about soils, how to prepare a planter for container gardening, how to protect a garden from deer, and the use of cover crops for weed prevention. Resources on building soil, cover crops and keeping deer away can be found on our site too.
This gardening project is supported by the USDA volunteers based at the Geneva Experiment Station, the faculty and staff from Hobart & William Smith Colleges, as well as board members and staff of the Boys & Girls Club. A recent donation of organic soil was made by John Hicks.
The project aims to fulfill the youth development strategy of The Boys & Girls Club:
-A Sense of Competence: there is something boys and girls can do and do well
-A Sense of Usefulness: the opportunity to do something of value for other people
-A Sense of Belonging: a setting where an individual knows he or she has a place where he or she “fits” and is accepted
-A Sense of Power of Influence: a chance to be heard and to influence decisions
The mission of the Boys & Girls Club of Geneva is to empower all young people in our community to reach their full potential. Located at 160 Carter Road, the Geneva Community Center is just a short ways away from the Geneva high and middle schools. TheGeneva Community Center is a gathering point for people of all ages to engage in fun and enriching activities in a safe and welcoming environment. It is the Center’s mission to build and support collaborations between organizations, services, neighborhoods, and age groups to create long-lasting relationships.
If you would like your garden-related program success story to be posted here, email us at garden@cornell.edu with a two to three paragraph description that includes the garden project’s mission or goals, a description of the success story and its impacts, and attach two to three JPG photos of the project (with rights released). Be sure to include your address, phone number, email, and project website (if applicable). First five submissions will receive a complimentary copy of our Discovering Our Food System curriculum.
Cornell Garden-Based Learning will again offer our suite of three botanical illustration courses on-line this June. This web-based instruction is highly supportive and individually directed, and can be taken from any location in the world with internet access. Botanical Illustration (BT) 1: Basic Drawing Techniques is aimed at the beginner who is getting started with drawing, or returning to it after many years. BT 2: Working with Watercolor is for the beginning watercolor painter, and BT3: Advanced Technique is ideal for the student who is ready to commit to going further with proficiency, technique, media, and portfolio development. Courses last for just 6 1/2 weeks, and are $500 per course; our course fee will increase in 2013. You can receive a certificate of participation from Cornell University’s Office of Continuing Education for each course. Students who complete all three courses receive a certificate of completion from the Department of Horticulture.
If you have never taken an on-line course before, this could be ideal for you. Individualized instruction, reflective writing, and the opportunity to converse with others in a forum are our signature elements.
You will need: a recent version of an internet browser, such as Firefox or Internet Explorer; Acrobat reader, so that you can read pdf’s; a good, working scanner, which you will use to scan your work, save it in jpg or pdf format, and upload to the interface.
In the CGBL Spring Newsletter we solicited garden-based learning success stories to feature in the quarterly newsletter and blog. We are excited to share this first garden story with you from the Dewitt Middle School in Ithaca, NY. *Submissions always welcome. Email us 2 – 3 paragraphs that includes the garden project’s mission or goals, a description of the success story and its impacts, and attach two to three JPG. photos of the project (with rights released). Be sure to include your address, phone #, email, and project website (if applicable).
The Super Duper Veggie Garden of Doom and Broccoli sits on 6,000 square feet of what used to be a lawn about 100 feet south of the school building. It’s close enough to Wayne Gottlieb’s 7th grade science class (from which the Super Duper name of the garden originates) that even the most reluctant students can get there in 4 minutes. Students make this trek several times year round, in November to put their beds to sleep, in March to sow salad green, in May to transplant their tomatoes and peppers and in June to harvest greens and weed their plots. In the summer students volunteer to do summer maintenance and sample the harvest. In summer 2011 40 students volunteered in the hopes of sharing a watermelon during a break from building trellises and harvesting carrots.
The garden was built in 2009 as a way of integrating sustainability into the science curriculum. It was hoped that science concepts, cell biology, plant biology, reproduction and genetics, could be taught through gardening. To some extent this has come about, however, efficiently integrating content from the NYS science curriculum remains challenging. The impact on the school community is incredible. Cafeteria staff enjoy serving fresh garden veggies at lunch in the spring and fall. Most students love gardening and many have learned to appreciate kale and other vegetables. Parents have been a big resource as garden volunteers to supervise activities, share about their own gardens or even deliver mature horse manure or bags of dry leaves.
The success of the garden has been dependent on donations of money and volunteer hours from parents, teachers, community members and organizations. Generous grants from Lowe’s, the Ithaca Public Education Initiative and Donor’s Choose have allowed us to purchase everything we need to run the garden. We’ve also depend heavily on parents, DeWitt School staff and community members who volunteered to build the garden or supervise students. Gardens 4 Humanity and Cornell Cooperative Extension – Tompkins County have been instrumental in helping to find experts in the community who want to help out. The garden has greatly benefited from collaborations with other DeWitt teachers. The art teacher joined us in designing and painting a mural on the shed. Gates were designed and built by students in the Technology student’ association. These donations of time and money serve not only to keep the garden going, but to form important bonds between the school and the community.
Spring is a time for many things garden related. It’s time to start seeds in flats for transplanting after frost, it’s a good time to thin those iris bulbs, expand your garden beds. Your list goes on… and on, and on. As if that weren’t enough, outside the garden space there is a whole world of spring activity and culinary exploration as well – Spring Foraging.
Now, before I get into the wonders of foraging it’s important to mention that you’ll want to go with somebody who knows how to ID edible wild plants or bring a really good guide-book such as Edible Wild Plants, A North American Field Guide By Elias & Dykeman. And please, don’t eat anything unless you are 100% sure of what it is.
Okay, back to foraging…
During the spring many plants can be eaten and are quite delicious and nutritious (many are medicinal as well, but that’s another post in itself). You’ll want that experienced forager with you to know which part of the plant is edible too. Some of the commonly foraged plants in the North East are Pigweed, Cattail (photo at right), Lamb’s Quarters, Plantain, Garlic Mustard, Wintercress, Black Mustard, Evening Primrose, Dandelion, Chicory, and Fiddlehead Ferns.
Some foraged plants are great to eat raw while others are better cooked. My absolute favorite spring wild edible is Wild Leeks or Ramps. These days I eat them with every meal. I throw them in my morning egg just at the last minute of cooking, or put them on my sandwich raw, or chop them and toss them into a salad or bake them on top of a pizza (photo at left: shiitake mushroom, ramp & bacon pizza).
When we harvest anything from the wild it’s important not to take too much. We want to make sure the plant has no problem regenerating. Every plant is a bit different in this regard, so it’s really important you talk to some seasoned foragers and do a little reading on your own. A recent post sites research on Ramps that says harvesting more than 10% over 10 years could devastate the population. Now that’s not much at all.
Here’s the post for you:
Anyone who has come across the Ramp, or Wild Leek, allium tricoccum, likely can’t help but feel a sense of abundance; the spring ephemeralsoften show up in clusters that can range from a few square feet to a solid quarter acre or more of green…..but are we taking too much? Full Post: http://agroforestrysolutions.blogspot.com/2012/04/are-ramps-being-overharvested.html
Groups of visitors flocked to the Cornell University greenhouses last week to catch a glimpse of the nearly five foot tall Corpse Flower, officially called the Amorphophallus titanum, in hopes of catching it in bloom. After several days of anticipation, Cornell’s Corpse Flower bloomed Sunday, March 18th.
This plant, native to Sumatra, Indonesia, is one of 140 recorded Corpse Flowers to bloom in cultivation in history. The plant’s central stalk had been growing steadily at a few inches per day since the beginning of March. The flower ultimately bloomed, revealing a deep red leaf at its base and a smell akin to that of rotting meat, from which the Corpse Flower gets its name. In the wild, this potent smell attracts pollinators.
Inspired by the Corpse Flower’s magnificence? It’s likely the perfect time to get outside and start your own garden. Many people suggest to plant peas on St. Patrick’s Day, so there’s time like the present! Check out the CGBL How-To page to help you get started: http://blogs.cornell.edu/horticulture/
Did you know that Mycobacterium Vaccae, a soil bacterium, has been found to trigger the release of serotonin, which elevates mood and decreases anxiety? This bacterium has also been found to improve cognitive function.*Stressed, anxious, or overwhelmed? Go outside. Smell the soil. Garden.
Have a garden-related program success story? CGBL is soliciting success stories to feature in our newsletter and blog. Email us two – three paragraphs that includes the garden project’s mission or goals, a description of the success story and its impacts, and attach two to three JPG. photos of the project (with rights released). Be sure to include your address, phone #, email, and project website (if applicable). First five submissions will receive a complimentary copy of our Discovering Our Food System curriculum.
Vvi engages youth as they interview gardeners about their opinions on vegetable varieties. Youth submit their findings online to serves as a nation-wide online library of vegetable variety data.
Seed to Salad engages young people in growing their own salad gardens by combining classroom experiences with hands-on garden activities. S2S is a February-June school based program and available for download in Spanish.
Taking some time to design your backyard, garden, or farmscape can save time and money in the long term and is simpler than many realize. Before diving into a design it is important todo an assessment of your landscape and set goals. Just a few simplesteps and you can be on your way to a great garden design!
Did you Know Source: *Lowry C.A., et al. “Identification of an immune-responsive mesolimbocortical serotonergic system: potential role in regulation of emotional behavior.” Neuroscience (2011) 146.2: 756-772. Newsletter Header Image Source:http://hort.cals.cornell.edu/cals/hort/
The winter run of our three botanical illustration courses is winding down. Students have produced an exceptional array of illustrations in all three courses, including Botanical Illustration I: Basic Drawing Techniques; Botanical Illustration II: Working with Watercolor; and Botanical Illustration III: Advanced Techniques.
One of our students said, “Thank you for providing an opportunity for me and other students to take creative risks in such a nurturing environment. The feedback has been invaluable, supportive and respectfully honest. You provided activities that were clearly explained, contained examples of what was expected, and were very purposeful. I appreciated seeing my skill begin to improve as I worked through each assignment. I will continue observing and drawing the ‘simple’ miracles of the plant world and thank you each time I look at a completed drawing.”
Especially exciting were the fruits of our advanced students’ labor. These students have taken the first two classes, and have achieved mastery in at least one medium. Witness the work here (left) of John Perry, who devoted significant hours to this beautifully rendered mountain laurel, in graphite; below is a gorgeous color pencil holly piece, by Linda Ericksen.
John has blogged about each course at his site, Nuncketest. You can learn more about what the botanical illustration courses are like there, and you can register for them at our department site; you’ll see the links along the left hand margin.
Agricultural Literacy Week March 19th- March 23rd, 2012
New York Agriculture in the Classroom will be hosting its 7th annual Agricultural Literacy Week throughout the state this month.
Volunteers will be visiting elementary school classrooms for a week to read a book that highlights an aspect of agriculture. This year’s book is titled, “Seed, Soil, Sun” by Cris Peterson, in which the author describes the “seemingly miraculous process by which air and water combine with seed, soil, and sun to create nearly all the food we eat.” It is NY AITC’s goal to promote health and well-being through classroom gardens, and to teach children about how food is grown and raised. Awareness of the food we eat and where it comes from is an important lesson for people of all ages.
Following the reading, volunteers will engage the students in a discussion, introduce an activity, and share their experiences in agriculture. To find out more about New York Agriculture in the Classroom and Agricultural Literacy Week, visit http://www.nyaged.org/aitc/programs/literacy.htm. “Seed, Soil, Sun” is also available for purchase at amazon.com for a 15% reduced price of $15.34.
Visit the “Activities” section of http://www.gardening.cornell.edu/ for more ideas on fun classroom, community, and family activities. We offer short, stand-alone activities and lessons that can be engaging and informative for any group. Explore “Discovering Our Food Systems,” an experiential learning program about how food gets from farm to table, and how we, as eaters, are part of the process. Explore “Discovering Our Food Systems” and much more at http://www.gardening.cornell.edu/.
Healthy soil is key to a healthy and productive garden. When soil is healthy it becomes home to worms, pill bugs, centipedes, bacteria, mycelia and many more beneficial macro and micro organisms. Healthy soil retains just the right amount of water so roots of the plant can soak it up but not get too moldy. Healthy soil also provides just enough support for roots to take a foot hold and grow big and tall. Whether you’re starting a garden new or have been gardening in the same place for years, maintaining healthy soil takes some time, energy and knowledge.
In the recent New York Times article about renown farmer Eliot Coleman, Coleman explains that the first thing he did after acquiring his farm land and building shelter was start building his soil. He used seaweed, horse manure, hay and compost. Land that started with 3-inches of topsoil now has over a foot of “black gold” that support intensive vegetable cultivation. Coleman is known for growing gorgeous produce all year-round in Maine.
Learning to compost productively will prove to be just as important for your gardens success as watering, sun exposure, and spacing between plants. Youth can be a great help with compost bin building and taking temperature and moisture recordings of the compost as its breaking down. You can find some compost resources through our web site and feel free to contact us if you have questions.
Another great way to build soil, and a method often overlooked in the home garden, is cover crops. Cover crops help to retain the soil, lessen erosion, and decrease the impact of precipitation on the garden by slowing the runoff of water. They also reduce mineral leaching and compaction, and suppress perennial and winter annual weed growth. The top growth adds organic matter when it is tilled into the garden soil. The cover crop’s root system also provides organic matter and opens passageways that help improve air and water movement in the soil.
The expert gardeners will also engage the children in fun, garden-related activities such as learning about soils, how to prepare a planter for container gardening, how to protect a garden from deer, and the use of cover crops for weed prevention. Resources on building soil, cover crops and keeping deer away can be found on our site too.
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