A FANTASTIC GARDEN

 For our First unit in Food, we discussed mayn topics, such as. ...  And we visited ....   And I learned....  etc et cetc

After all these incredible learning opportunities, it's time to put together our own garden plan!  And so I found a nice little spot in my backyard -- it's actually a little wagon where I could plant the garden -- and designed my own garden.  


The first thing to calculate is the area of my garden bed.  It's a simple rectangle, so the area is A = 4 x 2.5 = 10square feet.  The volume is V= l x w x h = 4 x 2.5 x 8 = 80 square inches.  Lastly, I wanted to weigh the soil, so I weighed a small amount in a cup (which was 5 cubic inches).  That weighed 4 ounces, so 80/5 = 16, so my garden is 16 times bigger, or 4 x 16 = 64 ounces.

Now that I have measured out my garden, time to select plants!  Now I love fresh vegetables, which are ANNUAL plants, or plants that only grow for one year.  In particular, I want to plant tomatoes, jalapenos, and lettuce, which I think make the best fresh produce in the summer time.  Next up are PERENNIAL plants, which bloom every year, so I only have to plant them once.  Some herbs are perennials, so I want chives and rosemary, which I really love the scent of.  Check out my garden map with those plants.





Now, I tested the macronutrient levels in my soil.  The three primary macronutrients, nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus, are essential for plant health.  I found that my soil had excellent levels of phosphorus and potassium, but it lacked nitrogen.  [note, if you took photos of your test, put them in the blog!!] So, that means I'll need to plant clover plants in my garden to help increase nitrogen in the soil.

Lastly, I need a schedule for my plantings.  The annuals really like the midsummer sun, so I would plant them in May.  The clover can grow during the cold season, so I would plant that in September after I've eaten all my delicious tomatoes.

In conclusion, I enjoy the idea of planting a garden, and since my wheelie-box is designed for gardening, you can bet that I sure will plant it this spring!  I don't think my tiny box will provide a great deal of vegetables, but I will enjoy whatever I can get.  Like the "guerilla gardener" Ron Finley says, gardening is my grafitti, and my soil is my canvas.  I'll update this post with a picture of my garden during the summer!

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