Soil Buiding Workshop

The soil building workshop this past weekend was outstanding. Thank you to all of you who helped make it happen. Everyone had a great time learning how to start a mulch pile in the pumpkin patch. Kids of all ages loved getting dirty removing the old pumpkins, adding leaves, and covering the piles with burlap. Thanks again to Mark Hay and Earthroots Field School for offering this free program to the Tustin Memorial Academy community. This first workshop offered demonstrations and steps you can use at home to create biologically rich soil to support your garden, techniques to capture and infiltrate more rainwater in your yard.

From Oct 25, 2009 Day in the Garden

Soil Building & Water Harvesting Workshop this Sunday, Oct. 25

TMA Garden 10-25 Event Flyer

Need Pumpkins? Join us in the TMA Garden on Sunday, Oct. 25

Join us in the TMA Garden and Nature Center during California School Garden Week on Sunday Oct 25 from 12 pm - 3 pm! There will be a pumpkin sale and a gardening workshop. More information located in the flier.
TMA Nature Center 102509

Fifth-graders sell pumpkins

Check out our article in the OC Register:

http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/news/local/tustin/article_2597008.php

Grow it NOW: Cool Season Vegetables Saturday, September 26, 10:00 a.m. - noon

Cool season vegetables are cool! From gourmet selections to a stir fry garden, this presentation will cover everything you need to know about starting and growing vegetables that you can harvest in fall, winter and early spring. University of California Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners of Orange County will show you how to "start something" this weekend you can harvest and eat throughout the cool season. Get tips for fitting more into smaller spaces and busy lifestyles, information demonstrations on planting and a walk through the demonstration gardens with Master Gardeners who will answer your questions.

Enjoying the garden at Open House

Thank you to all of our TMA families for visiting the TMA Organic Garden & Learning Center at Open House.  It's incredible to see the progress that's been made over the last year thanks to the countless hours the Can You Dig It Committee has invested in the garden.  A special thanks to Marci Maietta Weinberg, Kurt Christy (and his dad!), Michelle Furtado, and Naomi Dei Rossi as well as countless other volunteers who make the garden such a wonderful space for our children.  We would like to thank the following merchants for their support at Open House:  Wahoo's, Dream Dinners, Trader Joe's, Spud!, and Sprouts.

Volunteers Needed for Friday, June 12

Parent volunteers are needed to help students plant their Earth Day seedlings in the TMA Organic Garden and Nature Center this Friday, June 12.  Please contact our volunteer coordinator Tina to sign up.  

Shifts available between 8-10am and 10am- 12pm. 

RSVP to Tina at kmrannalli@yahoo.com

Life Cycles in the Garden (May 8, 15, 22, 29)

The final phase of the Butterfly Project will take place the last 4 Fridays of May in the garden.  Earthroots Field School (Earthroots) will provide the second grade classes of TMA with a series of four 20 minute Garden Explorations.  Each Friday, students will begin by gathering in a circle.  A specific life cycle theme of the day, such as life cycles of plants, will be briefly acted out with the students to set the intention of the group.  Then, students will be set free to explore the garden looking for evidence of life cycles (such as seeds, butterfly chrysalis, flowers, fruits, etc).  Finally, the students will be given time to sketch or write in their journals about the evidence they have found.  The daily themes and educational content of class will be connected to the California State Science Standards for Second Grade. 

Garden Work Day, Saturday, May 9 at 9:00am

We’ve got some prep work to complete before we can plant the variety of seeds the children are tending to this month.  We’ll start Saturday at 9am and work until we’re done.  We’d love your help anytime you can stop by.  Here’s what we’ll be up to:

Digging and placing irrigation lines

Filling irrigation trenches

Laying path for in the Native Garden

Mixing, moving and spreading dirt and soil in preparation for planting the seedlings all the classrooms are growing

Planting

Painting the Barn

TBD

If you can join us remember to wear sunscreen and a hat and bring snacks, food and water.  If you’ve got your own gloves and tools, bring them along.

P.S. bring your purple volunteer slips and earn some volunteer hours