BAMBOO

Hello Everybody!

We have had an amazing journey through the Peace Patch! It seems like one project leads into another to help us expand and beautify our Gardens! We came across a yard filled with bamboo, half of which were dead...and waiting for us to come and harvest it! So we got to cut down giant bamboo shoots that were entangled in healthy shoots. As one chopped, a team of two or more would yank them out of the bunch. Less than half way through I was dripping in sweat but I didn't mind it. You should have seen how many shoots there were and the energy from everyone working, it was amazing! Now we have plenty of bamboo to construct edges and borders along our garden beds. Professor Kip Curtis and a few students have become masters at bamboo art! We love that we can recycle natural material and use it in our gardens!

Robin Gipson 

Peace within Nature

Loads of Bamboo

Have you seen our new Truck we had donated to the Edible Peace Patch?????

Professor Kip Curtis 

Our Final Garden Day..For Now!

Hi All and Good Evening!






Today was sadly our last day in the garden.  The semester is quickly coming to a close and that means we had to say goodbye to the Sanderlin garden and also to our classes.  Lia and I showed up at the garden and did our routine walk around.  It is still so fascinating to see all the new beauty that the garden has to offer every week.  Green is exploding in every single bed.  The Sanderlin garden has flourished in such an amazing way.  To think that this was the same garden that we started on in February is almost unbelievable.  Some things that I specifically noticed today were the sizes of the eggplants and the peppers.  They have gotten massive!  Also,  the tomatoes are beginning to take great size.  The Kale has grown to be quite bountiful.  So much has been grown in this short amount of time.

Our second grade class made their way out in the garden like any other day.  Today was a different day that consisted of no lesson.  Instead, we just talked about the upcoming harvest festival and all the food that is going to be prepared for the kids.  They got so excited! It was awesome to see them want to be so involved in this project.  They take so much pride in this garden and that is the most rewarding thing.    We did our last walk around the garden with them and I could feel the same excitement that has been prevalent all semester.  The kids insisted on weeding,  so we got down and dirty and weeded most of the garden.  We ended the class with catching lady bugs, since they seemed to be plentiful today.  We said our last goodbyes and shared hugs.  It was a lovely day.

This semester has really changed my views towards gardening and kids.  It is so wonderful to see the love the kids have for this garden and I share this love with them.  The age gap doesn't seem to matter when we are all laughing about the same green things that are growing.  I am inspired in many ways to come back and be a part of the Peace Patch next semester.  I also want to try to get involved in something like this where I am from!  It has been a great time.




Until next semester,

Sally :)

So Sad to Say Goodbye

Our Second home and food to fuel for our healthy bodies!!

       Today was our last visit to the Sanderlin Garden....it sure was sad! I did not realize how attached I was going to get to these kids at the beginning of the semester. Here I was thinking how much the kids are going to learn and love coming out to the garden and that is exactly what happened but for me as well.At the beginning of the semester when I asked them questions about plants it was new to them and now they all shout out the answers. It means so much to me to know that I have actually made an impact in their lives. Each child that comes out to the garden has touched my heart in one way or another.From the moments that they reach out to hold my hand during our garden walks to the moments when they look up at me with a puzzled look on their face as to how it is possible the seed they planted grew into a magnificent plant. They all tug at my heart and it has only been a single semester. Even though they can be a handful when they are all excited in a big group each of them are sweet and special in their own individual ways. To think I didn't have much of an interest in teaching elementary school children or any age group at all. These four elementary schools have significantly altered my plans for the future, I can only hope I have altered theirs. 

The Boys excited to try a fresh green bean

Checking to see how our cucumbers are doing