The first sunflower finally formed this week, a sign that shows how fast time has gone by. Everything is past sprouting and there is an influx of vegetables and other plants blooming at very high rates. There were no children this week, so we had a lot if time to take care of weeding and maintenance for the patch. The past few weeks have been excitingly fast, and the students are not only ecstatic about the growing plants, but are also very curious about them. The more they are able to see, the more curious they become.

Propping up and providing support

Today was a successful Saturday workday.  The gardens are growing along very nicely.  

It is amazing to visit a garden after not being there for a week and see how it has grown.  It almost seems as if they are growing all on their own.

The truth is these gardens and vegetables are growing with all the efforts that are put into them through our students and volunteers.  This is why there is continued noticeable growth every time we revisit each garden.

The tomatoes and bean plants at Sanderlin were all growing substantially, but not in the best direction.  The bean plants and tomatoes all needed a little effort to get them propped up and supported to grow in the right direction.

Our great team of volunteers at Sanderlin today propped up all the plants and used bamboo to give them support.   It took some work and patience to untangle all of the plants leaves, stems and stalks.  Once this was done though the plants were all headed in the right direction, ready to grow upwardly and produce yields.

Just like our vegetables the kids all need a little prop up and support.  These gardens provide that prop up and support for the kids and just like untangling the plants it takes some work and patience.  It may not be obvious, but by tying those plants close to a strong a bamboo stick that can guide and support their growth, they are doing the same for the kids.

Thank you to all of our volunteers for propping them up, guiding them with a little support in the right direction so that they can grow and progress.   

If you did not make it out to this Saturdays workday come out and join us on December 14th  at 8:00 A.M. at Campbell Park Elementary School.

Aleta Kane
Garden Program Coordinator

Leaf printing and plant identification

November 6,2013

It's a lovely fall day at the garden plenty of sun and a bit windy.. The plants are growing exceptionally well and the student are quite excited to see the flowers and vegetables  they planted grow.  The past few weeks  were full of lessons that consisted  of  the type of soil the plants needed and how it is different from regular soil, i.e. composting , coffee grounds, ect. We also discussed the different parts of the plant, and the hydrological cycle among other things.
This week we took the kids out to learn a little about native and exotic plants. Although some of them were confused and could not interpret the meaning of  native and exotic species, they did a good job describing the characteristics the plants consisted of (this was mainly the 3-5 yr olds).
We finished the lesson by having them collect some of  the different plant leaves and  colored them for a leaf print. They were very excited and  were enthusiastic about their drawings. They started to identify the differences  between the different leaves.

By,
Elizabeth and Caroline

Let the Magic Begin!

First day of first class in the Sanderlin Garden.  My five Eckerd students were noticably nervous before the kids came out.  I went over our strategy with them.  We'll observe the garden, capture some data, and plant some seeds.

"So are we actually going to be teaching these kids?" One of the undergraduates asked sheepishly.  "That's the plan." I replied.

Mrs. Kearn's third grade class came out in a nice neat line, every one of them had been in the garden before, and they were bustling with excitement to be back.  I introduced my student to the elementary class, and my volunteers set to work.

Small groups, lots to look at.  They wandered around the garden pointing out our new tomatoes and basil and radishes, and showing where the banana tree is fruiting. 

Several kids picked and sampled radishes, sprouted from a workday in late summer.  Everyone helped us get our garden map in order and then they planted some seeds of their own.

Twenty-five minutes were gone in a flash.  The nervous smiles and gestures of my volunteers were replaced with smiles of achievement.  "That wasn't as bad as I thought it would be," one of them said.

Me, I saw budding educators another year in a row.  I love my job.

Kip Curtis, Ph.D.

Founder and Executive Director

The Edible Peace Patch Project

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