Written by Milena Castillo-Grynberg, Food Systems Educator
In December, things are finally slowing down at the Arundel Garden; Leaves yellow and drop to the cool earth, and plants begin to steadily reduce growth and production. Up at the preschool garden, work has begun to clear and reset garden beds for new growth. Students could not be more enthusiastic about the chaos, watching attentively as crispy tomato plants and mildew-y squash, long overdue for well-deserved rest, are cut out and composted. Gleefully, they smell the season’s last straggling basil, likening the aroma to “lemons!” “ice-cream!” and “candy!”
Yummy Harvested Greens. (December 2023. Photo taken by EGC Food Systems Educator, Milena).
Older students have been developing a very special project through Arundel’s Green Team: an original and inspiring skit about environmental stewardship. Later this year, students will perform this skit to teach their classmates about best waste management practices and other ways that they can help the Earth! For now, students are working on scriptwriting, set and costume design, and establishing a creative vision.
At the monthly workday on December 2nd, volunteers got a lot of great work done to prepare the garden for holiday break. Some worked on assembling mini-greenhouses for overwintering peppers, while others worked diligently on finding and removing sneaky, new weeds hiding among seedlings, hoping to be overlooked. Volunteers also worked to turn compost, add natural fertilizer to beds, and harvest marigold seeds for next season. After a successful workday, the shed also got a good winter cleaning!
Mini-greenhouses for overwintering peppers. (December 2023. Photo taken by EGC Food Systems Educator, Milena).
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