Year 4 at the Ped Beds!

The rains have been so timely this summer at the children’s Soup And Salad garden that I’ve only had to water a handful of times. Bumper crops of eggplant, cucumber, herbs have been rolling in for Table To Table. Carrots aren’t too far behind, as well as okra that got a bit of a late start. And, very soon, a new rotation of leeks will be going in.

We’re book ending the season with pre-school storytimes. Our first was in June, and we’ll be having another in September. A carrot theme kicked us off, and a seed-saving focus will bring us into fall harvest. Every teaching garden I’ve ever grown has a component of seed-saving in it. This year you’ll notice that, so far, we can save dill, cilantro, buckwheat and cherry tomatoes.  (One of the funnest parts of spring is finding little tomato seedlings sprouting on their own after the snow melts, as seed from the prior autumn dried on the vine and dropped to the soil!)

The light purple cabbage is the color of summer. And its companion, celery, isn’t far behind.  A resident chipmunk stands guard, alternating between both beds in her secret tunnels. Maybe I can get her to help us harvest the potatoes as we get closer to frost (can’t believe I just used that word).

Once again, I’m just blown away by the respect this space is given by people from all walks of life. The daily connections I have with folks truly embody the meaning of community. Usually we talk about veggies, which is always a good thing.  As the post in the east bed says in many different languages, “May Peace Prevail On Earth.”

-Scott Koepke,   New Pi Soilmates garden education service for children