Garden Update-September 6th 2010

I have been neglecting my garden. I confess it and I admit it. The herbs are going to blossom and then seed because I am not cutting them regularly. (These are garlic chives.)


My strawberry patch turned brown because of lack of water but here it is coming back to life after two weeks of daily attention.


Okay...is this the prettiest little pink flower ever? I filled a couple of empty pots up with some sort of succulents from Home Depot at the beginning of the summer. I did not realize when I got this one that it would have these pretty flowers come the August heat. Gorgeous. There were about ten flowers blooming at a time on each of the plants. Wish I could remember what kind of plant this is and I would give it to all my friends. I will have to check Home Depot next time I am there.


Our sunflowers this year were quite disappointing. They bloomed for a day or two and then immediately turned brown and shriveled up. After last year's bumper crop, we felt like we hardly had any at all to count bees on for the Great Sunflower Project. This is the Lemon Sunflower which I have come to love for its big yellow petals.

We are still picking tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, and zucchini from our garden but nearly as many as normal. The squirrels are eating or dropping all the walnuts from the tree and making a huge mess. I have already started my fall garden clean-up which is very early for us.

Our attention has been in our front yard, remodeling to remove the water thirsty grass and replacing it with plants that need less water. We removed a tree and put in a retaining wall while we were at it.

Here is the before photo:


Here is where we are now:


We are hoping to finish the basics and fill in with plants and pavers as we have time and money. My husband and the boys are doing all the work themselves. I will write up some future entries with exactly the process we have worked through to get where we are in the remodel.

That wraps up this garden update. There is always something to do and something to plan for the garden isn't there?

Barb-Harmony Art Mom

Weekend in the Garden

I'm tired after a really busy weekend. Spring weather and the call to be outdoors getting dirt under my fingernails kept us busy, busy, busy.

Here are a few images to share a few glimpses into our weekend.


Our resident squirrel in the birdfeeder. I love his tail.



Harvesting the radishes and the first round of onions.



Blueberries growing so round and plump.



Lavender that is alive with bees.


The first round of weeding around the garden boxes is complete thanks to Mr. A. He and I have been working diligently at getting the weeds under control before the warm weather sets in for good. The boxes are all ready for the seedlings we have been nursing upstairs.


We found this guy when we were working in the roses. It was perfect timing since I am working on a cricket challenge for the Summer Series ebook. We were able to do some up close observations before we left him comfortably back on the rose bush.
Edit to add: K left me a comment saying that there is an ovipositor so my he is really a she. Thanks K.



No one says that hard work in the garden does not have its rewards. Yummy first strawberries were picked and eaten. The best ever end to a long weekend outdoors, except for maybe the grilled burgers my dear husband made us for dinner which we ate outside on our deck.

Hope you all had some time to get outdoors and enjoy whatever your world offered this weekend. I know that some of you have written to say that you don't have an apple tree to study but you could just as well study any tree you find in the Handbook of Nature Study as a substitute or you could do a general apple study using some apples you have on hand. If all else fails, spend fifteen minutes outdoors with your children and enjoy whatever comes your way.

Barb-Harmony Art Mom

Our Strawberry Study: Outdoor Hour Challenge

"Red, shiny, green leaves and yellow spots. It is oval in shape with a bulge on top. The leaves are short with small black lines. It is cool to the touch and slightly fuzzy. It is extremely sweet."
Quote from my son's journal page

I didn't need to do much encouraging to get the boys to participate in this nature study challenge. They are always eager to help in the strawberry box. In fact the box belongs to my middle son and he keeps it well tended.

Funny thing is that many times he comes up into the house empty handed....wonder where those berries go between the garden and the kitchen?

Pick, wash, eat....you can't get any fresher than that!

We used the lesson ideas in the Handbook of Nature Study to focus a little on the strawberry and to see what we could learn. Then we went out to our garden to investigate our plants. We have two varieties of strawberries: June berries and Everbearing. We have a big crop of berries that we harvest early in the summer and then we have plants that keep on producing a few berries all summer long.


We observed the blossom and leaves.


We saw this little berry where the petals of the flower had just dropped off and the berry is just starting to poke out and be seen.



We found a little bit bigger green berry to compare to the others.



Here are some berries growing large and pink. Look at all those seeds on the outside of the strawberry.

Like I said, not many berries end up in the kitchen but we did manage to bring up some to complete a nature journal page before they were gobbled up as well.

Here in California strawberries are a popular crop and you don't have to go far to find a roadside stand selling fresh berries of all kinds. My husband has been working down in the Monterey area and they have strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries growing commercially there. He is loving the fresh fruits and promises to bring some home when he is able. He has been working on the Lockheed Fire since last week and we are missing him terribly. He is our hero though and I know that he doesn't mind doing his job when the need arises.

Hope you enjoy your strawberry study soon and don't forget to share your blog entries.

If you don't have a blog and you would like to submit a photo for consideration as the Outdoor Hour Challenge Photo of the Week, please email the photo to harmonyfinearts@yahoo.com

Barb-Harmony Art Mom

Outdoor Hour Challenge-Crop Plants: Strawberries

We have had strawberries in our garden for a very long time. My middle son has let his garden box fill up with strawberry plants and we all are reaping the benefits of this easy to grow fruit. I am looking forward to focusing this week on the strawberry and gleaning some new insight into this delicious crop plant.


Outdoor Hour Challenge
Crop Plants #5
Strawberries

Inside Preparation Work
1. Read in the Handbook of Nature Study pages 608-611.

“If a comparison of the wild and cultivated strawberries is practicable, it makes this lesson more interesting.”
Handbook of Nature Study, page 609

2. The lesson suggests that each child have a strawberry plant with roots and runners attached to observe in person. This may not be possible but perhaps you can find a plant that you can observe with its leaves and a green or ripe strawberry. If all else fails, have some fresh strawberries from the grocery store available for your follow-up time.

Outdoor Time
3. For this challenge, spend 10-15 minutes outdoors. This would be a great time to check up on any crop plants that you have been growing in the garden. If you don’t have any crop plants growing, spend your time observing in your own backyard looking for a subject that interests your children. Perhaps you could bring along your magnifying glass and inspect leaves or flowers or insects. Enjoy this time together.

You can also download my daughter’s Summer Nature Walk Worksheet to complete during your outdoor time if you wish.

Follow-Up Activity
4. Allow time for discussion and a nature journal entry after your outdoor time. Follow up any interest in any subjects you observed during your outdoor time either in the Handbook of Nature Study or in a field guide. You could also check past Outdoor Hour Challenge topics to see if we have studied your subject in the past.

5. Have some fresh strawberries on hand for observation and then eating.

Here are some ideas for careful observation:

1. Notice the strawberry's color, shape, size, seeds, hull, and stem.
2. Smell the strawberry.
3. Take the stem in your right hand and the berry in your left hand and pull. What happens?
4. Look at the seeds on the outside of the berry. What are their size and shape? (use a magnifying glass)
5. Cut the berry vertically and notice the colored layers. (some red, pink, white, or green)
6. Are there seeds on the inside of the berry?
7. Cut a cross section and describe the inside of the berry.
8. Eat the strawberry and describe its taste.

6. Your journal entry could include:

• Drawing of the whole berry, showing the shape, stem, and the pattern of seeds.
• Drawing of a vertical section, showing the shape, stem, and the seeds on the outside. (cut the berry in half lengthwise)
• Drawing of the horizontal section, showing the seeds, and the colored ring. (cut the berry in half crosswise)
• Drawing of a strawberry leaf if possible showing the distinct shape.

Here is a link to an article on growing strawberries with kids.


New for this series of challenges are custom made notebook pages for each crop plant we will study. I have designed simple to use pages that will complement each challenge and will be an easy way to start a nature journal. Each of the eight notebook pages is in full color, but they are just as great in black and white. These notebook pages can be purchased for $2.50.

SAMPLE

As usual, you can complete the challenges without the notebook pages or you can use Tina's notebook pages linked below. Don't forget to share your nature study on Mr. Linky.

As usual, you can complete the challenges without the notebook pages or you can use freebies from the top tab of my blog.

Pear Blossom Time with Strawberries Too

Today I found two new plants blooming with beautiful white flowers. The first is our pear tree with the delicate white and pink blossoms. (click on the photos to enlarge them)

Look at this close-up of the pear blossom, so delicate.

Then in my son's garden box, I found that the strawberries are beginning to blossom and fruit...we may be able to enjoy these if the birds do not get to them first. :)

See the little berries forming?


From the Handbook of Nature Study, page 610,
"The strawberry plant has two methods of perpetuating itself, one by the akenes which are growing on the outside of the strawberry fruits, and one by means of runners which start new plants wherever they find place to take root."

Pages 608-611 cover the strawberry plant, including 12 suggestions for observation.

I love the spring.
Barb-Harmony Art Mom