Capitol School Garden Seedling Update

Some Pictures of What's Happenin' at The Capitol School:

Greetings from the Capitol School Garden Group!
Andrew, Nicole, Carol [our teacher], Justinn, Camille, Chance, and Erica [not pictured])

After our time at the farm today, we all met at the Capitol School to begin implementing our garden. Here's a quick reminder of what seeds we have started, where we are planting them, and the benefits or drawbacks to the methods we used:

1. Basil- We sowed basil seeds today at Jean and Carol's because they need to be germinated and set out later in the season (they like the warm) unlike other herbs/vegetables like broccoli or cauliflower. We are using seeds Carol already had and planted them a whole flat (128), some for her and some for us. We will be planting the basil in the terracotta pot with the lettuce and tomatoes. Basil and tomatoes are often intercropped together because they do very well together.
   
2. Lettuce- We sowed lettuce seeds a couple weeks ago to plant on the outer rim of the terracotta pot that will hold the tomatoes and basil. We planted them in a 1/3 of a 128 flat alongside other flowers/vegetables that we wanted to grow but did not need an abundance of the crop. The lettuces did really well throughout the cold snap we've had recently and we planted the transplants into the terracotta pots today. They are taking up the entire pot right now, as we wait for the basil to grow and for the weather to warm up for good for the tomatoes.
3. Tomatoes- We are using tomatoes that Carol had already in small growing containers that she and another New College student had sown. Nicole transplanted them into a larger growing container for now. We will wait until the last frost (which may or may not have already happened) or April 15 (not because it's the day taxes are due) and then we will plant them in the large terracotta pot.
   
4. Cucumbers- In the 128 flat with the lettuce we also planted cucumbers. They did not come up... well, one did but it wasn't very strong or worth using. We did not know that it is best to direct seed cucumbers. I hate that we wasted seeds and space in the greenhouse! We have not moved forward with planting the cucumbers into the large terracotta pot yet because of the uncertainty in the weather... but, we have them and are ready to plant whenever.
5. Radishes- I know that you should usually direct seed radishes because they germinate and are ready to harvest so quickly... but, I planted them into 128 flat without thinking. They grew incredibly fast! We transplanted them into the large terracotta pot today alongside carrots. We did not direct seed anymore at this point (the pot is full of radishes and carrots) but we plan to plant more (succession planting) once the kids have eaten them all up!
6. Carrots- We planted carrots alongside the radishes in the 128 flat. They did not grow extremely well or fast, but some grew over Spring Break. We planted them in the large terracotta pot with the radishes and eventually the cucumbers. Carol suggests direct seeding them from now on, their root structures are sensitive to being moved around I suppose.
7. Purple Beans- We planted some purple beans (unfortunately, I cannot remember the exact variety) into some small grow containers the Tuesday before Spring Break and they have grown a great deal! Carol suggested direct seeded the beans because they need to become hardy and strong before being set out in the elements. We planted 3 sets of beans in 3 hanging baskets on the Capitol School campus.
8. Strawberries- We are getting some small strawberry plants from the Students for Sustainability (S.o.S.) Garden at the UA Arboretum (thanks Nicole!). We will place them in the hanging pots at some point over the next couple of weeks. I think they were grown from seed by S.o.S. and are currently in the ground. Our group decided it would be best if they stayed in the ground until we were absolutely ready for them to be transplanted to prevent any harm to the plant.
9. Sunflowers- The mice got the majority of our gigantic sunflowers in the greenhouse at Jean and Carol's. They spared some of the mixed, branching sunflowers we planted and we will be planting those into the ground sometime this week. Carol said we could have direct seeded, but we decided not to due to the importance of growing a substantial sunflower bed. Basically, we trust the greenhouse. We are planting these sunflowers alongside the fence that lines the preschool playground.
   
10. Marigolds- We planted some marigold seeds in a flat of 128s for a natural repellent to some insects and for the kids at the Capitol School to enjoy the flowers. They will surround the sunflowers alongside the preschool playground. We will break ground on this bed this week.
    

Thank you for your interest!
Justinn