Discovery Garden

Well, our first class in the garden was a wonderful success! Kristen led a fun and educational tour of the garden and everyone had a chance to meet many new friends (kids and bugs alike). ;)
Snacks, activities and stories made it a lovely day all around. It's so great for us to have a chance to invite lots of little ones into the garden to explore and be inspired!

















For more pictures of the fun day with our Bug Detectives, check out this link: garden detective slideshow


And insects aren't the only thing that can be good (or challenging) in a garden. If you've ever had a garden, you know that the same goes for "weeds". Did you know that a variety of plants that we call weeds are edible? Check out this link for more on tasty edibles like dandelion, purslane, lambs quarters, nettles and more: Wild edibles

Hope to see you one day soon in the garden. Until then, happy hunting!
~Marykaye

Bug detectives!

Join us this Saturday at 10am in the garden for our next children's class: Bug Detectives!
Are bugs good or bad for a garden?  Children will learn which bugs are helpful to a garden and which bugs are not.  With magnifying glasses in hand, the kids will explore the garden to find these little critters and make some new friends!  (This class was a hit last year).  Class is free but RSVP is welcome.  Just let us know by leaving a comment, sending an email or posting on our Facebook page.

We hope you can join us!  Check out our Events page for other fun activities coming up in the garden...

Happy Hunting!
~Marykaye

Remembering cooler days

How are you staying cool on these 90+ degree days?  Gardening in this heat can be a challenge, so we're taking cues from the experts.  Watering in the early morning or late afternoon/evening is best.  Resisting the urge to skip breaks in the shade and staying hydrated with homemade fruit-infused waters or agua fresca helps too (click for recipes).   They say the lycopene and carotenoids in the brightly colored fruits also help us handle UV radiation a bit better as well!

Looking over these pictures from our Grand Opening Festival in the garden a few weeks back is another way to dream of cooler days!  We were blessed with a lovely breezy day and plenty of umbrellas and sun shelters kept everyone comfortable.  Such a fun day...

Here are some of the pictures:


Plants that love all of this sun include the nightshades (tomatoes, peppers, eggplants) but make sure to pick and enjoy those fresh lettuces; very hot sunny days tend to make them bitter if you grow them outside during this stretch of the summer.  For more info on which veggies and fruits love sun and shade, check out this link from ehow.com.

Hope you stay cool and have fun!
See you soon. :)

~Marykaye