Thank you Seed Savers!

Today we received a donation of seeds through the Herman's Garden Seed Donation Program through Seed Savers Exchange. We are grateful for the wonderful seeds which range from eggplants to peppers to carrots to herbs & flowers. The highlight for me is the Moon & Stars Watermelon, which is known for being especially tasty while also displaying a beautiful skin that looks like the night sky. From the Events and Outreach Coordinator: "The mission of Seed Savers Exchange is to help save North America's diverse, but endangered, garden heritage for future generations by building a network of people committed to collecting, conserving and sharing heirloom seeds and plants, while educating people about the value of genetic and cultural diversity."

In the spirit of this mission we will do our best to collect seeds after this coming growing season to replant and to pass along seeds to the King County Seed Library which currently functions through the Seattle Farm Co-op.

While the kids are away.....

There is one very distinct advantage to your parent being a volunteer in the school garden. You get to go to the garden over winter break! Today we went over to take stock of what was happening while we have all been away. The bird feeders were empty, to be sure, but we also noticed that things just seemed quiet and bare. My goal was to get the rain barrels moved to the back of the greenhouse, where we plan on adding gutters to feed them. This was no small task, as the barrels were all half full of water and the location where I was moving them required moving cinderblocks from one side of the garden to the other. I was up for it, and took to the task while the kids busied themselves on the other side of the garden. With a little muscle and a lot of sweat, I got the barrels to their new home.

It turned out that the kids found an interesting project as well. They found a pile of small concrete blocks that students of yore had painted with garden images such as bees and butterflies and suns, so many suns. My children decided to gather these "stones" and place them around the entrance to the garden. I think it turned out nice and gives the entrance to the garden a whimsical appeal.