Earth Day Reading!
Teach students that they have the power to change the world with this kid friendly biography of Rachel Carson - the woman who inspired the environmental movement and Earth Day!
Spring After Spring is a great reminder of the value perseverance and curiosity and that "in nature nothing exists alone". Enjoy and Happy Earth Day!
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Resource Rallies
Are you interested in connecting with school gardens in your regional area? MSGN will be organizing Resource Rallies throughout Maine this summer to grow the network and help to connect your school garden with the resources it needs to thrive.
Keep your eyes peeled for more information about your regional Resource Rally.
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Harvest of the Month
Are you participating in Harvest of the Month? Catch up on all the details and learn how you can prepare your garden to be the source for your "Harvest of the Month" here.
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April Garden Ideas:
- Plan garden related tasks and activities for the rest of the school year, summer and fall.
- If you’re planning to hold a school garden open house in late September around harvest Lunch Week in late September, consider what can still be growing and plan/plant accordingly (sunflowers, salad greens, kale, beets, etc.) Remember your hoop or green house plants as well.
- Seed starting: chart when plants should be started indoors and plant seeds accordingly as a class.
- Invite a Master Gardener in to do a lesson on soil, pollination, seed starting basics, selection of seeds, reading packets and catalogs etc. Have them help with starting the seeds. An extra pair (or more)of hands is essential.
- Designate who will be in charge of checking the seeds, watering, checking grow lights and which days and weeks. Post for everyone to see.
- If you have low tunnels, hoops, or a cold frame, start hearty greens and veggies outdoors.
- Take the whole class out for a walk around the gardens and get ideas from the students about where things should be planted, tasks that need to be done (from their view point), where new beds should go, etc. Make a list and prioritize.
- Weather permitting take the class out for a garden writing prompt, read aloud, sensory game, etc. Be creative.
- Take a soil test if you haven’t in past two years (once ground thaws). You’ll know what soil amendments you’ll need.
- Remove winter plant material from gardens, including mulch around garlic
- Side dress garlic once it emerges with compost
- In hoop and green houses, continue to do successive plantings of hearty greens, radishes. Harvest mature vegetables by picking entire plant when ready or mature leaves or whole plant when thinning
- Leave hoop house doors open when temperature is above 70 or so, and cover plants at night when outside temperatures are cold.
- Plan a lettuce or radishes taste test to see which varieties students like best. Provide different salad dressings for dipping.Take a poll and chart the results.Purchase varieties that are most popular.
- Contact MSGN for a visit
- Sign up to host the "Gratitude Tree"
- Register for MSGD 2019
- Participate in MSGN Survey for a chance to win a raised bed garden!
Check out our MONTHLY SCHOOL GARDEN CHECKLIST to learn more about what this month looks like in the garden! For more information, try out these awesome resources: MOFGA's Planting Calendar, Fedco's Veggie Chart, and Johnny's Planting Calculator and Succession Planting Template.
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We are building our network and our team!
Are you interested in having an impact on garden education in Maine? Join us for updates on statewide programs and projects - let's grow together!
Future Meeting Dates: April 24th, May 22nd
Meetings are held in Augusta, inquire about remote connections.
We also welcome support for special projects via committees like fundraising, event planning, technical support and more. Want more information about current projects at MSGN? We'd love to work with you!
Email us today at info@msgn.org
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