Truro Public Library

Fourth grader, Paige, noted a chilly 52° with sunny skies and not too windy. After playing tag, we tasted some things still growing in the garden and some brave children even tried the nasturtium seed pods which were especially spicy hot. Then we cleared the leaves from the beds because Anna explained that they can cause the soil to become too acidic. We checked the kale for aphids and found only a few on one leaf. Some kids tried seeing if the pea tendrils would coil around their fingers (it was hard to wait that long).

Then we  thought about what we might paint with watercolors from our Fall garden. Most children used an easel to hold their paper.  Some children focused on the spinach beginning to grow and some painted carrots  and pumpkins while one person chose to focus on the Fall colors in the garden.

• play Tag You’re Fit
• taste herbs and nasturtium seed pods
• clear beds of all leaves and sticks
• look closely at coiling pea tendrils
• decide what to paint from the Fall garden
• paint with watercolors

Nico, a second grader, recorded the air temperature as 62° with the wind blowing, sunny skies and feeling between cold and warm.

First the group talked about what the word “fit” means. There is the kind of fit someone might do when they yell and fall down or there’s the fit that clothes might do on somebody. Then there’s the fit that someone might be if they eat lots of fruits and vegetables or play a game like Tag, You’re Fit.

Next the kids observed fall changes in and around the garden and made some sketches that may be used to create paintings. Each child presented their findings: “red leaves, death, cold, kale, no sunflowers, no tomatoes, peas, no bugs around much, oregano.”

We moved the peas to the center bed and planted spinach in the first and third beds.

• group peas together in one bed
• plant spinach in cleared beds
• water lightly

Fifth grader, Megan noted a sunny, cold 60° day. The kids ran a lot playing tag and then sat down to talk over the plan for the afternoon in the garden. Each child said what they liked about Fall and Anna described how she likes this season because she slowly begins to put her garden to sleep which allows the insects and worms to work in the soil throughout the winter.

We pulled the remaining five sunflower stalks, making sure to get off as much dirt as possible from the root ball by shaking it and hitting it with a trowel. The stalks were then placed on the pumpkin patch mound and can hopefully be used next year as pea trellises.

One group worked on picking the tomatoes (many green) to take to the Truro Central School. Then the tomato vines and stems were pulled up and brought to the compost. This bed was cleared of all weeds and the soil loosened for planting spinach next week. The last two lemon cucumbers and lots of nasturtiums were also picked and eaten or taken home.

• Clear remaining stalks and stems saving any that may be used as supports
• Keep as much soil in the garden as possible
• Harvest and bring to local school
• Clear beds for cold season plants
• Compost

Lexis, grade 5, recorded a sunny, warm day of 70° and then all the kids sat down and Anna brought out carrot, pea and kale seeds for the everyone to examine. She asked how the seeds compared in size and shape, how do they feel?

Next, tomatoes and carrots were harvested and then three areas were cleared of all weeds and the dirt was loosened to ready them for beet, lettuce and more carrot seeds. Hopefully we’ll  be able to harvest all those vegetables later in the fall!

We washed the carrots and tomatoes and ate them. We also took three breaks to play tag.

• compare and contrast carrot, pea and kale seeds
• pick ripe carrots and tomatoes, wash and eat
• prepare areas by pulling all weeds and loosening soil
• plant beet, lettuce and carrot seeds
• water

Fifth grader, Kaden, noted a warm, sunny, 65° day. After a game of Tag You’re Fit, everyone was given a chance to look at a sundew with a magnifying glass. Homer Pinkley brought this insectivorous plant in from a cranberry bog (and later returned it) and some kids actually saw some insects in the tentacles.

Anna cut down 4 sunflower heads and the kids freed the seeds by scraping them with their fingers. We tasted some and stored the rest in a brown paper bag for next year’s planting.

In the garden, someone noticed small, almost clear bugs all over the kale leaves. Anna said these were aphids and all the leaves would need to be removed. As she cut the stalks back, everyone helped carry the leaves to the compost. Next, all the beans from the bean plants were saved and the rest of the plants were pulled up and put into the compost too.

We ate lemon cucumbers, planted pea seed in rows beside the trimmed kale and watered the whole garden.

• eat sunflower seeds and save a few handfuls for planting next year
• cut back any infested leaves and place in compost
• harvest beans, save the seeds and place remaining plants in compost
• plant peas
• water

Madison, who just started fourth grade, recorded the air temperature as 73° and we don’t know the soil temperature because the thermometer broke. The weather felt sunny and warm.

We picked loads of carrots, tomatoes and beans and one lemon cucumber. After eating the harvest, we decided to bring the rest of the carrots to the Truro Central School for the Farm to School program. Then we weeded some dead plants and watered a lot. Anna started a game of Tag You’re Fit that everyone played.

• harvest ripe vegetables
• bring surplus to local school for lunch
• weed and water