Families Go Wild! 30th June 2018
This week was a hot one, but we stayed cool in the shade in the sensory garden.
There was garlic (Allium sativum) in the big bed in the sensory garden that had been planted earlier. The stalks looked yellow, so we decided it was time to harvest, and to plant something else in its place!
One of our volunteers said that discovering the garlic hidden below the soil was like finding diamonds! It was very exciting! Those of us harvesting love eating garlic, and can't wait to cook with it in a couple of weeks!
Once the garlic was harvested, we removed some kale plants from the bed as well. We collected the seeds from them, and left some to dry, so the seeds can mature and we can collect them another time.
Our 'mystery squash' plants were growing well, so we thought we'd experiment with some musk melon (Cucumis melo) plants. We learned how to plan out and place plants, like professional gardeners do, to make sure there's enough space for each one to grow. We then dug holes in the bed, slightly deeper than the depth of a pot, and planted musk melon and calendula! Of course, we watered in the seedlings, and gave the other parts of the garden a water as well.
Note from Ilana: As garlic bulbs are found underground, people are inclined to think they are the roots of the plant. In fact, each clove of garlic is a modified leaf! The adapted leaves in vegetables such as garlic (Allium sativum) and onion (Allium cepa) act as food storage for the plant. This means, if not harvested, the plant can survive underground, and continue growing in the next season. You might discover this by accident if you don't harvest your whole crop!