Grow Your Own: Suburban Gardening
A Teaching Garden: Community STEAM Education Project (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math) We are Life Long Learners who have taken to guerilla gardening in order to fight obesity, malnutrition, illness and disease in our Community.
Wednesday, September 25, 2024
Monday, September 23, 2024
Saturday, May 25, 2024
Beneficial Herbs
Thus begins a new season in our Historic Garden. We have available beds. The Community convenes at The Louie Bacoat Historic Community Garden on Saturdays during planting and harvesting season.
Come on out to commune and work with us. Take home free varieties of mint and Field Thistle.
Our Garden does not have a fence. This has forced us to find different methods for discouraging deer and other animals. The large pots at the entrance to the Garden are planted with sedum and vinca. Deer do not like vinca. Not only do they not like it they seem to be repelled by it. https://naturesmace.com/blogs/blog/do-deer-eat-vinca |
Hollyhock is a plant. The flower is used to make a medicinal tea. People use hollyhock for preventing and treating breathing disorders and digestive tract problems. Some people apply hollyhock directly to the skin for treating ulcers and painful swelling (inflammation). Hollyhocks stand as beacons for bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. These towering blooms serve as pit stops for these vital pollinators, offering a rich source of nectar. The presence of Hollyhocks can transform a garden into a buzzing hub of activity, underlining the plant's role in sustaining the local ecosystem. https://greg.app/hollyhock-toxic-to-humans/ |
We have loads of thistle that will be dug out and composted. Bring a pot and take home some of this beneficial and invaluable plant. "...Thistles are very ecologically productive,” Matt said of the plants’ role in Earth Sangha’s meadow restoration efforts. Butterfly and moth larvae, along with a host of other insect herbivores, feed on the pollen, nectar, leaves and seeds, and pollinators and other flower visitors are plentiful as well. Come fall and winter, thistle seeds are great forage for goldfinches and other seed-eating birds..." |
|
Sunday, July 2, 2023
Gross Negligence or Stupidity?
Northern New Jersey is under possible severe weather warnings for this weekend. So why is it that this much protested against worksite has been left like this over the Holiday weekend? Why is this massive crane perched over Englewood and not over the worksite? Why was it not secured? Why was it left over the Holiday?
Is anyone watching what is going on over there? Is anyone listening to the Residents in the area who have been complaining about construction on this site since before the work even started?
I would not like this thing hanging about anywhere near my home. As it is, another 4th Ward Resident sent me this photo because he is concerned about his property, his family and neighbors who live in the area?
Is anyone keeping tabs on this work? Is this okay with the powers that be? Who will be held responsible for any property damage or injuries that could occur as a result of this obvious negligence?
Monday, October 5, 2020
Great Bell Peppers, Finally
The first really hard frost is due to hit the Englewood area October 29, 2020. The Summer was so very hot that it seemed the Bell Peppers were cooking on the vines. I thought I was not going to get any worthwhile fruit this season. Then it cooled off and I saw the produce in the photos below.
Sunday, May 12, 2019
Go Outside & Grow Something with Children
A beautiful and useful Teacher and Community resource for teaching Gardeners of all ages.
"...We create opportunities for kids to learn and grow through gardening, engaging their natural curiosity and wonder. KidsGardening has been a leader in the school gardening movement since 1982. We envision happier, healthier kids learning in the garden and connecting to nature. This improves nutritional attitudes and educational outcomes, enhances social and emotional learning, and gives rise to environmental stewardship in youth across the country. We inspire, support, and connect educators and families by providing garden grants and curriculum, and by cultivating a community of practice. We hope you will join us..." https://kidsgardening.org/what-we-do/Lesson Plans -
Garden Activities -
Designing a School Garden -
Books and Curricula -
Create and Sustain a Program -
Growing Guides - What will grow when and where
Gardening Basics
Hydroponics - "...Hydroponics, in its simplest form, is growing plants by supplying all necessary nutrients in the plants’ water supply rather than through the soil. Growing plants hydroponically helps gardeners and farmers grow more food more rapidly in smaller areas (greenhouses, living rooms, classrooms, and rooftops, for instance) and to produce food in parts of the world where space, good soil, and/or water are limited..."
Why Leaves Change Colors - "...Chlorophyll isn’t the only pigment contained in plant foliage, but it dominates. Other pigments, such as the yellow and orange carotenoids, are masked in most plants by the strong presence of chlorophyll. However, come autumn, as the growing season winds down, chlorophyll’s dominance wanes. The shortening days (or, more accurately, the lengthening hours of darkness) trigger plants to begin entering dormancy. One manifestation of this process is that chlorophyll begins to break down and the plant reabsorbs some of the elements it contains, such as nitrogen. No longer dominating the scene, the scarcity of chlorophyll allows the yellow and orange carotenoid pigments to take center stage and show their “true colors.”..."
Mycorrhizae & Plants - "...One of the most fascinating group of fungi — and most important to gardeners — are the root fungi, also known as mycorrhizae (my-co-RISE-ee, a term derived from the Greek words for fungus and root). Many species never show themselves above the soil surface, yet they are incredibly important to the soil ecosystem and the plant life it supports..."
Botanical Classification – or, What's in a Name? - "...Using the two-part or binomial Latin name (also referred to as the scientific or botanical name) for a plant can help clear up the confusion, at least most of the time. Each specific type of plant has a unique, two (occasionally three) part name..."
modern, students can come to appreciate the climatic and survival challenges faced by people in different places and eras. Older students can examine the chemistry and economics of different types of food preservation..."