SUMMER GARDEN CARE - EASY SIGN UP!

Care for our gardens at Birch Lane is a year-long endeavor so schedule yourself and join Garden Coordinator Hope Sippola in taking care of our site. It not only deters vandalism when things are cared for, but fruit can be harvested by those willing to share some time and effort in the gardens. Our attentiveness this summer will encourage a smooth transition back to classroom gardening in the fall!
Please sign up for a few weeks this summer using Sign up Genius: Here

Thoughtful Improvements at Birch Lane

What a gratifying experience it is to make a physical improvement to a public site like a school. Whether it's creating a space for outdoor education, vegetable gardening, wildlife habitat, or simply improving an area to serve a specific need, groups and individuals can make a huge difference in their communities. Over the years Birch Lane has had people who've cared enough to make that difference for our kids and community. It all starts with a need, then ideas grow, a plan is put in place, funding is nailed down, and once it gets approved by the Principal and the School District we can get started! So now we have a plan and we've prepared.... but wait.... what about workers? You know that old saying about success? Yes. It's 80% about showing up. 

We can make a positive difference in our school surroundings when we think carefully before making changes with the goal to create an sustainable yet inviting, learning friendly atmosphere. The connection that kids and adults who have contributed to site projects is strong, even decades later. We should remember the efforts of those who came before us and make our changes thoughtfully. Here are some examples of projects at different stages in the past and the people that "showed up" and worked hard on them.

From "Mud Pit" to "Castle Courtyard" in 2002. This project was lead by
Debra Ariola, Frank Schlosser, and Bill Herthel. Lydia Delis-Schlosser 
began designing the area with her son's a multi-age class in 2000.

Todd Brown and Ellen Moriarty got this revamp of the "South Garden"
started in 2005. The Farley/Bold family donated those large concrete blocks
that have made a great raised garden. This south facing garden now has 6 to 7
classes gardening in it; each class with it's own space.

In 2008 the enormous Hollywood Junipers that filled this entire area were removed,
and the First Baptist Church community members took on the clean-up of weeds
and Algerian ivy. We now have a pleasing first impression that incorporates
herbs, fruit, and ornamental plants that are some use to the garden program. 

Making use of our animal pen in the spring of 2010, we created a shelter for chickens
and other animals. Keeping to the specific regulations set by the school district,
this "Critter Coop" designed by Debra Ariola was built by many hands including
Brian Bigalow, Ralph Ernst, Kirk Hagen, Ted Sheridan, Jim Bealieau, and Doug Houck. 

In 2010 A donation of pavers from landscape contractor Jose Diaz became a path
between the two reading rooms thanks to dads Kirk Hagen and Matt Fix.
We call it a "Pathway to Reading".

Parent Mark Sherwin installed this tile project celebrating neighborhoods at
the very front of the school in 2009. This art part of this project
was headed by Art teacher Anjanelle Weiher.

We have a yearly tile "Legacy"project that is a great way for people
 to bond over art. In the photo above Karen Farley, Lisa Best, Chris Ziccardi,
and Kim Maslaniak visit while they set down the student made tiles at the
base of the shade structure at the lunch tables. Tile projects all over the school
were most often led by volunteers and art teachers. A few of
the folks to thank include: Donna Billick, Linda Dullum, Judy Leatherman,
Debra Ariola, Kyle Monhollen, Anjanelle Weiher, and Joyce Winter.

After approval by the school district, our big Kindergarten planter boxes were
constructed in 2009 by parent volunteers that included Mike Ziser, Ted Sheridan,
Kirk Hagen, Mark Diel, and a few others. These additions gave our Kinders
a sunny space for successful gardening to take place!

Parent Steve Stein arranges a truck load of sitting rock green stone
boulders from a quarry in Ione in 2007. You'll notice these same boulders
at Holmes Junior High and Davis High School! Old carpeting was used
as weed cloth with wood chips added later.

A true labor of love, the Velma Lagerstrom Native Garden was built by
students, volunteers, and district employees in 2003. An improvement
over the muddy shady lawn that was there and a way to honor a beloved Principal.
Mark Sherwin built the split rail that protects the plantings from being trampled.

The first benches in the Margaret O'Brien Arboretum were installed in the 1970's
by a Boy Scout troop. The benches are still there today next to the lunch area.
Two other bench areas have been created by Eagle Scouts over the years. 

Lisa Reinertson sculpted the original Desert Tortoise for a children's sculpture
garden in Palm Desert. As a parent here, she offered the mold, and assisted with
Mr. Monticello's 6th grade class tile project in 2006.
Mrs. George's husband, Artist Kyle Monhollen headed up the installation.
2011 brought some vandalism, so this precious piece is no longer what it was.
People choose what kind of difference they  make in this world.
For five years this piece brought a great deal of joy.

A DaVinci High School student built this garden box to improve gardening for
this sunny classroom garden in 2008. A much appreciated community service project!

Tom Lengtat added his roofing skills to this kiosk project  in the
Margaret O'Brien Arboretum in 2008.

Joey Ariola does what he can to help dads Mark Sherwin and Jim Houvagimian
build the octagonal deck in the Margaret O'Brien Arboretum in 2005.
This deck is used  as part of an outdoor classroom.

Great Scarecrow Display this Year at Birch Lane!

Click on this little guy to see all of the Birch Lane 2012 Scarecrows!

SCARECROW BREAKFAST!

 The annual Scarecrow Breakfast at Birch Lane is on Halloween morning! Bring scarecrows to set up and show off in the Birch Lane Elementary quad and have your picture taken with your creation! Check out the link to past creative scarecrows: Scarecrows

On-line & On-site Plant Sale at Korematsu this Week!

On-line there are flower and vegetable plants for sale including the special herbs grown by DHS students: Lemon Thyme, Stevia, French Lavender, Du Provence Lavender, Huntington Carpet Rosemary, and Hot and Spicy Oregano!

Check it out at http://www.mykorematsu.com/plant-sale/ and order big and then pick it all up at Korematsu Elementary at the corner of Loyola and Alhambra on Friday the 18th! Marc will be having an on-site sale with other fabulous plants for sale both Thursday AND Friday!

BIG Garden Sale May 7-11!

Please sign up to help! http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0C4FAAAC29A64-bigspring

Individual Pots of:

• Tomatoes: Beefsteak, Big Beef, Big Rainbow, Black Krim, Celebrity, Early Girl, Shady Lady, Red Siberian, Roma, Virginia Sweet, Super Sweet 100 
• Sweet Basil 
• Armenian Cucumber
• Zucchini Squash
• French Pumpkins 
• California Wonder Bell Peppers
• Tall Coreopsis

6Packs of:

• Peppers: Red Beauty Bell Peppers, Jalapeño Peppers, Sweet Banana Peppers 
• Sweet Basil 
• Triple Curled Parsley 
• Flowers: Begonias ‘Varsity Mix’, Impatiens mixed colors, Petunia Madness mix, Lobelia ‘Crystal Palace’

Plants are also available on-line soon for pick up on-site on Friday 5/11 between 1-5pm:

http://www.mykorematsu.com/plant-sale/

The On-Line Tri-School plant sale will include herbs grown by DHS students for SAE projects – Supervised Agricultural Experience

Winter Nature/Recycling Crafts Fridays at Lunch!

These projects were created during our Lunch Time Garden Club on Fridays this winter! Stepping stone mosaics are made with broken plates and tiles. Pine cones,egg cartons and poly-fill from old pillows can be made into sweet Spotted Owls.  Who wouldn't be happy to receive a "Love Rock" from their child? Gardening is happening too. Digging for worms seems to be an activity no one gets tired of!

Start Seed Indoors Now

GROWING FROM SEED INDOORS is easy with our full-spectrum lighting systems that fit on many classroom counters! In this photo we re-used plastic containers from our lunches as little seed starters. This is the time of year to start seeds like tomatoes, peppers and eggplant.

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!