Category Archives: Garden
Catching Water
Last winter, in the Edible Schoolyard garden, the 6th and 7th grade students installed a rainwater catchment system that can hold up to 6,000 gallons of water. From October to May, which is our rainy season in Berkeley, we captured and stored over 5,000 gallons of water. Our students calculated that for every inch of [...]
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Mesopotamia Walk
Every fall in the Edible Schoolyard garden, sixth grade students participate in the Mesopotamia Walk, a virtual walk through ancient Mesopotamia. The ancient Mesopotamian people were the first in history to domesticate plants and animals, and they are also given credit for the creation of the first wheel, plow, and sail. Ten thousand years after [...]
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The Olive Harvest
We have waited in eager anticipation of the olive harvest, and this week the majority of the olives have reached the desired plumpness, color, and maturity. Olives are fun to pick, and many students enjoy climbing into the lower branches of the trees to harvest the firm, round fruits. The ripe olives are a beautiful, [...]
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Beans, Beans, Beans
This year, we planted more beans than ever before. During our summer program in June, we sowed over 10 varieties of beans with the intention of saving them for seed or using them to make delicious meals in our kitchen classroom. Some of the varieties we grew this year are Scarlet Runner, Cannellini, Anasazi, Gigande, [...]
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Alegria and the Rain
We had our first real rain of the year this week, an all-out storm that dumped fat droplets of water on us for nearly twenty four hours straight. The streets in Berkeley flowed with rushing water and the blacktop at King transformed into an enormous shallow wading pool. The garden, however, loved the rain and [...]
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Harvest, Thresh, Winnow, Repeat…
Fall is a beautiful time to be in the garden. These days, we are busy trying to harvest all that autumn’s peak brings, as well as cultivate and plan for the winter season. Here at the Edible Schoolyard we grow several different types of grains: in the winter we plant wheat, barley, and oats; in [...]
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Apple Cider Making
As the seasons turn and the days start to get shorter, we are enjoying the bounty of ripe fruit and vegetables in the garden. Every year, we like to usher in the autumn with an apple cider making activity. Each 6th grade class gets to make fresh pressed apple cider using a wooden, hand-cranked press. [...]
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Life Into Death Into Life
This week, 6th graders are focusing on the heart of the garden–compost! As our good friend and teacher Wendy Johnson says, “Garden fertility comes out of the discarded waste of our lives.” And indeed, here at the Edible Schoolyard, all students play a vital role in helping our food and garden waste turn into beautiful, [...]
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Monday’s Tomato Harvest
This year, we are growing about 20 different varieties of tomatoes in the garden. All of them are considered “heirlooms” except for two hybrid varieties: Early Girl and Sun Gold. We built a temporary fence around the tomato patch to keep out the deer, which has greatly increased the bounty of our harvest.
With the students, [...]
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The Art of Grafting Apple Trees