Garden Corner: Kale
Kale was featured as our Harvest of the Month crop for November 2018. Volunteers served kale chips at Charlottesville schools and based on the students’ reactions, they were a hit! The students even expressed interest in having kale served more often at school. Check out our blog post about kale for Harvest of the Month. Kale is a cabbage green that is packed full of nutritious vitamins and minerals. It is easy to transplant and is cold-weather hearty. We have been growing kale in the gardens over the winter and are getting ready to plant more during the spring months. Kale that is...
Read MoreYouth Intern Trip to DC
by Rodrigo Nunez Thanks to City Schoolyard Garden, I was able to attend the Teen Earth Optimism event in Washington DC to represent CSG with my fellow youth interns. I had thought the community of teenagers interested in healthy eating and food justice was small, but I found many teenagers from various backgrounds and ages who were also passionate about food justice and community gardens. In a discussion panel, I learned some of the reasons of why some teens decide to become vegetarians or vegans, how cultures of families affect the types of meals they regularly eat and what it’s like for...
Read MoreVenable Weather Station
by Sarah Wayne This summer, Venable Elementary school was awarded a Shannon Foundation Grant to build a weather station. A lot has happened since then! Three separate thermometers were set up throughout the garden – one has an attached anemometer to measure wind speed. A table and chairs were also put in by the door coming inside from the garden. Bookshelves were installed, complete with gardening and weather-related books. In the last few months, fourth grade classes have been volunteering to record the air temperature and wind speed in the morning. The second grade is now in charge of...
Read MoreHealthy Schools: An Interview with Carlton Jones
by Jordan Johnson After last month’s blog post on the revitalization of the compost program at CCS Nutrition Department (if you missed it, check it out here) we are excited to share more about the CCS Nutrition Department who we have worked so closely with for many years. Over the next few months, we hope to dedicate some space in our newsletter to highlight the team and what they are doing. From Harvest of the Month, to Farm to School week, we have collaborated with this amazing team and want to continue to highlight the work put in to make sure that Charlottesville City School students...
Read MoreIt’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year…
by Richard Morris, Director of Farm & Food Roots In the fields we’ll be tilling Raised beds we’ll be building for seedlings with cheer It’s the most wonderful time of the year. Spring 2019 is here, and the Urban Agriculture Collective of Charlottesville is excited about the season ahead. For farmers, Spring really is a little like Christmas. It’s the time of year when the growing season ahead feels like a beautifully wrapped gift, waiting to be opened. In exchange for a little labor, we receive the gift of a bountiful season, provided the weather isn’t too naughty and the...
Read MoreSurprise Sunflowers
by Sarah Wayne, Garden Coordinator at Jackson-Via Elementary It’s mid-February and time to start seeds with classes. Tomatoes, peppers, and impatiens for Mother’s day flowers. Pre-K, 1st, and 3rd grade classes scoop up potting soil, sprinkle in 2 or 3 seeds and cover up them up. They water them and watch them soak up the grow light sunshine. One week later – the seeds are starting to sprout! Teachers and students are so excited that their plants are starting to grow. Emily Axelbaum, a third grade teacher and avid gardener, comes into one of the classrooms and asks what we are growing....
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