SHS Flag Pole Garden Project

• The Master Gardener SHS Flag Pole project continues!! On September 14 Gary and Katie met to start the fall project.  They read and reviewed the VA Coop. Extension publication: Planning the Flower Border.  The students put in some hard manual labor and some serious "dead heading" (removing spent blossoms).  
• Sept. 21, 2012: Katie, Khrys, and Larina met to discuss the purpose of the garden and the type of tools that will be needed.  We reviewed the above article and talked about the importance of year-round color and some plant possibilities given our growing zone.  The students had the opportunity to view a good bug (a large Praying Mantis) and a "bad" bug: a grasshopper chewing on leaves.  Some time was spent weeding and dead heading.  Back in the library the students used the encyclopedia to read more about the Praying Mantis and how valuable it is in the garden.  This fall we will be looking for the egg cases. 
• September 28, 2012: Katie and Larina discussed and worked on plant propagation (rainy day plans).  The students reviewed various methods of propagation and worked on taking cuttings from a large Limeaide Coleus plant.  They tried starting the cuttings in a potting soil mixture as well as trying to root the cuttings in a cup of water.  We will watch to see which cuttings work out better.  Hopefully, we will produce some beautiful new plants!

Update

The cereal collection is up and running...don't forget to pick up an extra box or two this weekend to support our community service project!

Fourth Annual Cereal Collection

Announcing the 4th Annual Cereal Collection for local food pantries!! This year we will be collecting for the Keep the Change Food Pantry in Strasburg as well as the Matthew's Food Pantry in Fort Valley. We hope to collect at least 100 boxes of cereal to be delivered during the first week of November. Please take this opportunity to be part of the solution and make a positive impact on your community...one cereal box at a time.

Beautiful!

May 17, 2012

Alyssa, Emily, Katie, and Rebecca met this afternoon to plant perennial geranium, perennial sunflower, lilies, iris, and columbine. Rebecca correctly identified the Southern Catalpa tree and won a pair of pink gardening gloves! The girls discussed planting in groups for an attractive garden display. They planted the flowers, weeded, and mulched. Gallons of water were transported for the new plantings. They also trimmed the dead blooms and tidied up the garden. The Flag Pole Garden is looking fabulous!

May 2, 2012 Looking Great!

May 2, 2012 Garden Group

The group met to study the VA Tech Extension soil test results and soil amendments.We talked about fertilizer run-off and the importance of testing and adding the correct nutrients to the soil. The group worked on more weeding and edging as well as soil amendment.