The Garden Needs Some (a lot of) Work

I was checking on the garden at the Sunday school after being away for the summer.  My friend was nice enough to take a picture of me while I was standing in the garden.  I was standing on tiptoe so she could see me better. I am not well camouflaged in my bright pink shirt.

Yes, most of what you are seeing is weeds. There are some baby fruit trees in the mix that are surrounded by fencing, but mostly weeds in there.  At this time I don't think I feel safe letting the children into the garden, mostly because anyone shorter than me... will be lost. I was having a hard time finding a place to stand having to step on plants to make my own path. 

One idea was to let the children just pick the flowers around the edges of the garden and we can work our way into it. Knowing the nature of children they will not say at the edges and likely would get lost in the field. 

I could take a weed hacker and cut it down to size, most likely would let landscapers do that.  A greener option is to rent goats and let them eat the weeds leaving me with a lovely garden and some natural fertilizer.  Not sure I have the budget for that.  Strap some tennis rackets to my feet and trudge out a path like I am snowshoeing... not so easy.

If I figure out a way to hack out a maze path in the garden like the corn mazes that are popular in the autumn, that would be awesome.  If anything I might see if there is a good corn maze in my area and trek out to one with some friends.  Find a corn maze near you and join the adventure, Meet Me Outdoors

Ready for Spring - Tomato Plants - update

Back in February I planted some tomato seeds with the kindergarten class at Sunday school. We transplanted them a few weeks ago and you can see how well they are growing. 

Kindergarteners' tomato plants

The ones in the kindergarten are doing really well. They have a tray under them and are watered 2-3 times a week.  They are due for another transplant soon. Next week the kids will get to take them home and can plant them in their gardens or into a bigger container for those who don't have garden space. 

Tomato plants need to be acclimated to the outdoors before they are planted, this is known as hardening.  The idea is to start them in the shade and each day you can bring them more into the sun, and for longer periods of time.  In the readings and advice I have gotten from various websites about growing tomatoes and from the garden center tomatoes when transplanted to the outside or to larger pots can be buried deeper than the previous container. That means you can bury more of the stem, up to almost the top leaves of the plant. Tomatoes will grow roots along the stem and this makes it a stronger plant. 

Preschoolers' tomato plants

The preschool class only meets every other week so I bring the plants home. There were a few stunted plants that needed to heal and set roots. These will likely need more time before transplanting.  Maybe after spring break we will plant them. Sing to your plants and watch them grow, Meet Me Outdoors.

Animals at Night

Tonight as I was walking from my car to my house I saw five deer. I saw the first one crossing the street, one trotting down the sidewalk away from me and three others a few houses down the road. It got me thinking about other animals I have seen at night when walking from my car to my house over the past month or so.

My first odd animal encounter was maybe a month ago when a fox ran right by me going around my car then up the road.  I watched as it crossed the road to the median then into the brush.  I then heard a squeak from the bush and out ran two foxes and they chased each other down the street.  I have seen one of the foxes since then crossing the street on a later night.

My next animal was with a bunny.  I saw it hop up my driveway and into my backyard a few weeks ago. Another day I saw one hop across the path I was walking to my door. It stopped behind a plant and posed for a picture... Ok, so maybe not posed per se but it did freeze in its position as I took the picture.  One adaptation of rabbits is they stand motionless and hope the predator doesn't see them. They also have coloring that helps them blend in with their surroundings.  (Bonus points go to whoever can find the bunny in the picture.)

In looking for activities to do with my nature class that I teach on the weekends I found something called "fox walking". Fox walking is a barefoot walking technique that helps you focus not on the ground but on your surroundings.  I read that for every deer you see, you likely passed ten others.  I was sure this time to look not just at the first deer I saw tonight, but to see if there were others. Sure enough when I surveyed the area I saw the other four deer.  Look around you next time you are outside and don't let animal encounters go unnoticed, Meet Me Outdoors.

Outdoor Discovery Schools-LLBean Freeport, ME

LLBean's Outdoor Discovery Schools allow people to try out various activities such as kayaking, archery, fly fishing and more.  They are introductory classes where they take you out on location and teach you new skills. Today, I chose archery.

I signed up for the discovery course day of at their booth, but you can sign up on their website or by calling in advance. It is something I can see families doing or group of friends. Most of the courses have an age minimum.

The picture of me in front of a giant boot is right outside the retail store for LLBean their flagship store in Freeport, Maine. I was standing far enough away that it looks like it is the same size as my head. If I was standing up next to it the toe of the boot is about chest high.

After you are signed up all you have to do is show up at the booth 10 minutes before class time.  From there, they gather the group and take you by bus to the location. For archery they took us to a archery range, went over safety rules and then gave the group an introductory lesson.

As you can see from the picture of me holding my target I did it pretty well. Most of my shots hit the target paper and I even got 3 in the bull's eye yellow circle.  The instructor was very good at helping us improve our aim.  When I really focused, I did well.

I might do another discovery course later this week if there is time. Enjoying the adventure, Meet Me Outdoors.