Our 2011 Winter Garden Sale Through Dec. 16 at Birch Lane Elementary

Our Winter Garden Sale is Coming!

We're making wreaths this week for those who've pre-ordered them:

Order by Monday Nov. 28 for class delivery on Dec. 2

We need lots of trimmings from evergreen trees like Pine, Cedar and Redwood. We need your rosemary trimmings as well. This would be a really good weekend to prune! We can drop our greens off at the nursery area next to the office and we'll use it as we need it. 

Next week we'll have our workshops to create things for our sale. This year we'll make sweet succulent planters, chicken and garden earrings, beaded ornaments, wreaths, and much more. The workshops have traditionally been held after school, but this year some folks are interested in making the earrings in the morning for an hour or so at drop off. I'll make sure all the supplies are there for those who are interested.

I've set up an on-line sign-up for sales help for our Garden Sale on the 14th, 15th and 16th. Three days only and folks can sign up for 2 hour shifts throughout the days. It would be great to have 2 people per shift to keep each other company when things get slow. Sign up to staff garden sale. I'll be around, for the most part, to make sure things are running smoothly. Thanks! Deb

RED RIBBON WEEK BEGINS!

Those red tulips we plant now with thoughts of healthy choices, bloom in the spring to remind us of our resolve to lead healthy, drug-free lives. We'll have them popping up all over campus!

NEWS FROM THE GARDENS

Upcoming Events:

THE FALL DISTRICT GARDEN MEETING will be held at Birch Lane Oct. 13. Representatives from Davis Farm to School and each Davis school garden and recycling program meet to share ideas. We'll have a tour to show off our lively and lovely campus.

RED RIBBON WEEK: Begins October 17. Each child has the opportunity to plant a red tulip that blooms in the spring to remind us all to make healthy choices in our lives.

THE SCARECROW BREAKFAST:  Wed. October 26  A tradition at Birch Lane where children make scarecrows at home and bring them in to display in the quad. Scarecrow photos!

Classes build scarecrows to sell through a silent auction with proceeds going back to the classroom.

We’d love to see scarecrows made to resemble characters from favorite books!

Our Gardens:

EDIBLE GARDENING: Gardening is well on its way (planting peas, lettuce, garlic, broccoli, kale, carrots, beets, etc.) and we have some great new garden volunteers. 

Seed is being harvested: Amaranth, calendula, basil, sunflowers and hollyhocks.
Nutrition activities have included: Taste testing apples, pesto, breads, garlic bread and "Stone Soup".

THE LUNCH TIME GARDEN CLUB on Fridays 11:30 to 1:00 with Debra Ariola and David Creamer. We’ve made leaf rubbings and leaf prints, and last week, ladybugs out of small river rocks with acrylic paint. We’re preparing our Garden Club bed and will be planting soon.

NEW GARDENS: Kirk Hagan from Ms. Yate's class and Manny Boulter from Ms. White's class have removed the buckled pavement from around the trees in front of their classes to enlarge and raise them up to make for more successful gardening there. 

"ADOPT A GARDEN" has begun! Hoping to have some more help. Stacia Langley just cleaned up the Velma Lagerstrom Native Garden last week and Hope Sippola has adopted the South Garden this fall.

Remember you can find us on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/birchlane.gardens

ADOPT A GARDEN AREA at Birch Lane

This year folks can help out our school by "Adopting a Garden".  These are gardens that are not maintained by the school district or by classes; they are outdoor learning areas and campus beautification projects.  By adopting a garden you can choose Fall,Winter or Spring to be responsible for an area.

As our Classroom Garden Volunteers get starting working with our kids, we can give support by taking care of other parts of the landscape at Birch Lane Elementary. Please click on the links below to sign up to help

             
              The MPR Gardens
              The Arboretum Gardens and Fence line
              The Castle Courtyard
              The Geo Garden
              The Compost and Worm Bin area
              The South Garden

              The Kindergarten Play Area
              The California Native Garden

LET’S GET IT STARTED!

It’s that time again, and many have been busy in Birch Lane Gardens already! School starts up a week from today, and our gardens are looking great due to the summer care they received from: Soji Howe, Tara Diel, Carol Joyce, Stephanie Moss, Eleanor, Robyn Waxman, Craig and Autumn Labbe-Renault, Angie Purves, Cathy Ishikawa, Shari Walter, Michele Long, Rosanne Testerman, Anna May Testerman and Karen Farley… I may have missed someone, and if so please let me know! GREAT work people J

Most of the classes will have something to harvest as soon as they get garden volunteers to get gardening happening! I’m seeing a lot of basil and tomatoes, with corn, squash and beans (Three Sisters) in there as well! Take some time to tour the gardens, and let me know if you want me to lead it!

For those with gardens ready to plant, here is a fall vegetable planting chart to check out: http://redwoodbarn.com/PDF/fallvegchart.pdf  We need to start seeds ASAP in the DHS greenhouse. There’s also some general housekeeping we need to get done before next week.

So, let's get it started!

Thanks,

Debra Ariola

If you’re interested in helping the garden program in any way, please contact Garden Coordinator Debra Ariola at: blgardeners@sbcglobal.net, or leave a note in the Birch Lane Office.

SUMMER GARDEN CARE @ BIRCH LANE

Our gardens are sustained throughout the summer so that harvest can happen when our children return in the fall. I'd like to have as many of us involved as possible, so that we have a presence at Birch Lane during the summer, and so that the work and the harvests are shared!

• The MPR Gardens
• The Arboretum Gardens and Fenceline
• The Castle Courtyard
• The Geo Garden
• The Compost and Worm Bin area
• The Gardens under the Trees
• The South Garden
• The Kindergarten Boxes
• The Native Garden

 

Spring Fling and Tour de Cluck this Saturday!

We'll have loads of fun this Saturday at Birch Lane with our Spring Fling Carnival and Silent Auction coinciding with the Tour de Cluck Chicken Coop Tour of Davis!

• Judy Leatherman and her Old Timey Fiddling Group will be playing chicken themed music.
• We'll have items for sale to benefit the school gardens including goodies, plants and jewelry.
• Dorothy Peterson will be on hand to talk about the school garden programs and Davis Farm to School.
• Davis High students will have information about chickens and FFA to share.
• Our gardens will be on display for folks to get an idea of how our campus can be used for garden based education. Debra Ariola will be available for general gardening questions.

This is all in addition to all the wonderful activities happening all over campus! Don't miss the fun, it should be memorable :)

A busy week ahead gearing up for Spring Fling and the Tour de Cluck on Sat. May 14!

We joined the Tour de Cluck "Clucksters" in the parade at Picnic Day this year as we draw attention to Davis Farm to School Foundation and the fact that we have the first elementary school chicken coop in Davis! We are on the tour this year.... bwaaak!!

While showing off our gardens this week with a DF2SF garden tour Wednesday and the festivities on Saturday, garden volunteers are getting busy with students planting our classroom gardens! Irrigation is getting repaired and planting is happening now, so that plants will be established and producing when school returns in August. Fall harvest of loads of fresh food is the goal.

Wednesday morning at drop-off garden folks will meet in room 6 for discussions about plantings, irrigation, Spring Fling, Tour de Cluck and garden art.  I will go over simple drip system repair, planting for harvest, special events and fun garden art. Please come if you can and if you have the time this week I'll put you to work, sharing with you my list of things to do...
Thanks,

Deb

Jeffrey the Angora Rabbit gets a Hare cut

FFA President Joyce Pexton brought Jeffrey down to size, removing some very matted fir that disguised the fact that he's quite a small bunny after all! He'll look a bit strange for a while, but with regular brushing, he'll have our hands twitching to touch that oh-so-soft hare once again. He's one hoppy bunny now =:)

A before photo of Jeffrey being held by one of Mrs. Owings' students. That's one fluffy bunny!

Garden Sale Wed.- Fri. Ends April 15, 6PM!

Last day of our Spring Garden Sale at Birch Lane! Tomatoes, Peppers, Eggplant, Impatiens, Lobelia, Begonias, Marigolds, Petunias, Vinca, Herbs, California natives, trees and shrubs. Open unti 6pm! Supports our school garden program :-)
Some of the California natives you'll find today:
Evergreen Currant, Blue Eyed Grass, Emily Brown Ceanothus, Howard McMinn Manzanita, Sticky Monkey Flower and Cleveland Sage.
Tomatoes: Brandywine, Beefsteak, Big Rainbow, Sugar Sweetie, Sungold, San Marzano, Speckled Roman, Yellow Pear, Silvery Fir Tree, Crimson Carmelo and more.
Peppers and Chilis: Anaheim, Sweet Chocolate, Golden Bell, California Wonder Bell, Red Knight Bell, Poblano, Jalapeno, Pasilla Negro and others.
Herbs: Lavenders like Hidcote, Grosso and Goodwin Creek, Lemon Thyme, Greek Oregano, Stevia and more.
Roses: Cecile Bruner Polyantha rose and Ballerina shrub rose.
Shrubs: Pineapple Guava, Cotoneaster, Lavatera, Hopi Crape Myrtle, Butterfly Iris and Lion's Tail.
Arts and Crafts: Chicken and garden themed jewelry, beaded Suncatchers and Succulents in vinyl record planters. Ceramics.

Garden, Recycled and Nature Crafts made after school Monday & Tuesday!

April 11th and 12th are our afternoons to get creative making fun crafts from and for the garden and gardeners. We can make our popular "Suncatchers" from CDs and recycled beads and dangles, lavender sachets from the gardens, garden themed beaded earrings and much more! New ideas are much appreciated!

SCHOOL GARDEN SALE ON-LINE!

The Garden programs at Birch Lane, Korematsu and Davis High Schools have teamed up and worked hard to bring a very special selection of plants that you can order on-line at: http://www.mykorematsu.com/plant-sale 

 

Marc Ishisaka-Nolfi at Korematsu Elementary has done a beautiful job of building a site with fabulous photos of the plants, a shopping cart and even Pay-Pal! Plants propagated primarily by students at Birch Lane and DHS, have been growing beautifully in the high school greenhouse which is managed by Ag and Hort teachers Amy and Jim Schulte.

 

When you order on-line you'll get first shot at special flowers like Impatiens, Begonias, Lobelia, Marigolds, Petunias and Blue Salvia in large 6-packs. A very nice selection of Tomatoes, Peppers, Herbs, Succulents, Perennials and even a few shrubs are available first to orders on-line.

 

On-line orders can be made through April 6 and can be picked up at Birch Lane near the office on Wed. April 13 between 1:00 and 5:30. Each site has their own pick-up day/time.

Each of our programs will be hosting garden sales on-site as well.

 

BACK FROM SPRING BREAK TO GARDEN FUN!

We'll have our traditional after-school workshops on both Monday and Tuesday, April 11 and 12 in or near Rm. 6. We'll create fun natural and recycled crafts along with the ever popular beaded earrings for our on-site spring garden sale!

 

Our spring garden sale at Birch Lane will run Wednesday through Friday, April 13 - 15 under the canopy near the office.

Starting Seed? Best get Going on it!

Our tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and such should all be planted indoors by seed now. Please comment on the varieties you've planted so far! In the high school greenhouse we have a few tomato varieties almost ready to transplant from the seedling trays with their second set of leaves showing! Many others just up with those first tiny leaves.

Valentine's Day Sale at Birch

We're selling Heart Shaped Ivy Topiaries and beaded "Hearts and Flowers" earrings mornings and afternoons at Birch Lane near the office! Ivy Topiaries are $10 and earrings $5.
We're making earrings Wed. morning 8:30-10:00 in room 6. Thurs. and Fri. afternoon at the tables if the weather cooperates. Would love to make it a party! Hope to see you :)

Table Top Grow Light System for the Classroom

This grow-light system was made with 10' of 1" PVC, 2 Tees, 2 Elbows, 4 Caps, 2 clip on lights with full spectrum light bulbs. The recycled plastic food containers were saved from lunches, punched with small holes and taped together to start the seed germination process. Students are documenting observations, measuring growth and are responsible for the care of their mini greenhouses. Our Garden Program is looking to make more of these for classrooms that are interested in starting seed this winter. Help with PVC pipe and fittings are much appreciated!

Seed Starting Time!

I just went through the seeds that we've obtained over the past few years and have quite a few tomato varieties. I thought I'd share my inventory list with the you all as we begin discussions with Marc at Korematsu and Amy at DHS the idea of cooperative plant sales this Spring. We'll need to limit the number of tomato varieties we grow to the best/most popular. Please let me know which would get your vote!!
Amish Paste (20 seeds) 2007
Aunt Ruby's German Green (40 seeds) 2010
Beefsteak (120+ seeds) 2010
Better Boy (20 seeds) 2005
Big Rainbow (20 seeds) 2010
Black Krim (40 seeds) 2010
Brandywine (120+ seeds) 2009/2010
Bull's Heart (50 seeds) 2006
Crimson Carmello (40 seeds ) 2007
Current Red & Yellow Blend ( 20+ seeds) 2008
Dinner Plate Tomato(100 seeds) 2006
Garden Peach Cherry Tomato (20 seeds) 2007
Gardener's Delight Cherry (60 seeds) 2007, 2010
Green Zebra (20 seeds) 2008
Italian Roma Paste (60 seeds) 2010
Juliet (Grape) Tomato (20 seeds) 2010
Red Siberian Tomato (40 seeds) 2010
Rose Tomato (30 seeds) 2010
Rutgers (80 seeds) 2010
San Marzano Paste Tomato (160 seeds) 2009
Siletz Patio Tomato (60 seeds) 2007
Silvery Fir Tree Compact Tomato (180 seeds) 2008
Speckled Roman Paste(80 seeds) 2008
Sugar Sweetie Cherry Tomato (80+ seeds) 2010
Sungold Cherry (100 seeds) 2010 seed collecting
Sweetie Cherry (50+ seeds) 2010
Yellow Pear (40 seeds) 2010
Yellow Stuffer (20 seeds) 2007
Eggplant: Rosa Bianca (50+) 2008, Japanese Long Purple (35+) 2008
Peppers/Chilis: California Wonder (20) 2008, Sweet Chocolate (20)2007, Hungarian Yellow Wax (20) 2008, Pasilla Bajio (20) 2008
Basil: Sweet Basil, Italian Large Leaf, Genovese Italian, Purple Petra, Red Rubin, Greek Spicy Globe, Cinnamon, Napoletano, Mammoth, Lime  (Lots of it) 2008,2009, 2010

Also have Thyme seed, both Common English and Winter Thyme that would be good to try this thyme of year...
Please comment with other suggestions and let us know if you would like to help with this project!
Deb

Tour de Cluck is scheduled for May 14

We're officially on the tour for 2011! I'd love to get the coop fine-tuned this Spring. We have some artwork to create and some signage to figure out. Ideas?