Truro Public Library

Two fourth graders, Rhys and Robin, recorded the air and soil temperature as being 79° and the weather as windy, sunny and warm.

Today we harvested Kennebec and Banana Fingerling potatoes. It was fun finding them in the dirt and there were so many! We washed them until they were pretty. We also harvested three big Red Heirloom tomatoes and lots of Cherry Roma tomatoes. We pulled up the spent corn stalks (the tallest was 51″) and bundled them together to display at the Truro Ag Fair along with the rest of the bounty. The three tallest sunflowers went to the fair too.

• Dig gently into the potato hills to find potatoes
• Harvest all ripe tomatoes
• Pull spent corn stalks and compost

Three days before the Truro Ag Fair, we picked marigolds, nasturtiums and their leaves to make bouquets and we harvested beans, potatoes, carrots, tomatoes and sage to display at the 4-H table there. We measured the sunflowers and chose the four tallest ones to enter into the “tallest sunflower” contest. Our helpful volunteers, Jill, Lou, Jack and Polly assisted in preparing for the big day. Later Jack brought a hedge trimmer to cut the stalks close to the soil.

• select flowers and leaves to make bouquets
• harvest potatoes and allow to air dry
• harvest ripe beans, carrots, tomatoes and sage
• measure and record final sunflower heights
• cut sunflowers at base of stem
• Remove root balls, shake off dirt and add to compost

Kindergartener Lily and First Grader Jessica recorded the soil temperature at 75° and the air temperature at 78° and feeling warm with partly sunny skies.

We picked beans, tomatoes, kale, nasturtiums and some corn. The sunflowers are too tall to measure! We made signs and colored pictures for the Children’s Community Garden table that will be at the Truro Ag Fair and we talked about all the fun things we’ll see there.

Quote of the day: “Why is it (the corn) so small?”

• harvest ripe beans, tomatoes, kale, nasturtiums and corn
• move cucumber vines closer to the poles so they can climb
• measure air and soil temperature

Diana (grade 5) recorded a hot sunny day with the air being 87° and the soil being 84°.

We practiced bowling with an orange, potato and onion on the special bowling lane that will be at the Truro Ag Fair on Sunday September 2, 2012. Francie talked about the Ag Fair and how each child who helped to grow the garden will get a ribbon there. We also chose the sunflowers that we’d like to enter into the contest at the Fair.

One group measured the sunflowers and corn. Sunflower #6 is now 119″ and #3 is 39″. Corn stalk #10 is 51″ and #4 is 33″. Another group harvested tomatoes, carrots, nasturtiums and beans. These were washed with the hose and chopped up for everyone to share. One group searched for and removed caterpillars (they went into the compost) that are eating holes in the kale. Some of them were hiding in the folds of the leaves.

Quote of the day: “The orange is the best bowling ball!”

• harvest tomatoes, carrots, nasturtiums and beans
• find and remove caterpillars under kale leaves
• measure corn and sunflowers

Fourth grader Anna and second grader Zihali noted the hot, sunny weather with the soil measuring 82° and the air measuring 87°.

One group picked tomatoes, beans, carrots and zucchini and shared them with everyone. Another group measured the corn (#10 is still the highest at 48″) and the sunflowers (# 6 is now 105″ and grew 26″ in two weeks). The third group finished painting their bug rocks.

• record air and soil temperatures
• harvest ripe tomatoes, carrots, beans and zucchini
• measure sunflowers and corn stalks
• water plants

Second grader Janae recorded the soil temperature as 91° and the air being 80° with a sunny sky and hot air.

After harvesting a bucket full of beans and a bucket full of kale, we settled down on the deck in a circle to listen to 7 year old Alexander who helps his mother, Janice, take care of the bees at their home. He explained that there are three kinds of honeybees: queen, drone and worker bees and the jobs each of them do.

Janice and Alexander brought a honey frame with honey and wax in it and a smoker they use to blow into the hives to calm the bees enough so that the hives can be tended. The bees become afraid that their hive is on fire and they gorge on honey and become sleepy. With the help of Janice, Alexander donned his bee suit with a hat and veil that zips together to help protect him when he works with the bees.

We learned how important the weather is to bees because some of their favorite flowers (on the plentiful locust trees in Truro) were blown away in a storm, so they needed to find other flowers to feed on. Sometimes they have to fly over a mile to find enough nectar and pollen to bring back to the hive. A worker bee can visit between 50 and 100 flowers during a food hunting trip.

After asking questions and listening, the children gave the garden some water.

Thank you Alexander and Janice for talking to us and for helping our garden by taking such good care of bees in Truro!

• harvest kale and green beans
• water