Island Adoption

Each month will represent a new lesson plan that coincides with the garden prep:

April: We will begin our snail and slug patrol. We will also try experiments with worm bins and decomposition. We will look at innovative ways to remove weeds.

May: Study flowers and pollination. We will start to look at insects and begin our irrigation system for planting. We will construct rain barrels to collect rain water.

June: Plant the crops we need. Gather community volunteers. Have a harvest celebration with cooking
Plant our last round of beets

July: Check on all watering systems to make sure they are working properly. Plant crops for fall

Aug: Turn all our compost. Soil testing with UMASS. Lessons on spacing and depth

Sept: Make room for winter crops. Community awareness. We are part of something bigger!

Oct: Pull out summer crops. Plant cover crops. Talk about seed dispersal and start collecting seeds.

Nov: Soil Month. Composition, building and erosion. Study nutrients. Have a harvest day and make a dish

December and January: Design cloches for garden beds. Sprouting experiments indoor. Create spring planting calendars. Observations in notebook about the effects of weather on the garden. Journal Journal Journal!

Feb: Start seeds indoors. Construct trellises. Plant experiments with seeds, light and temp.

March: Celebrate Spring!! Hypothesis on growth time and measure plants. Learn about decomposers in the compost. Begin weeding and start radishes and beets!