Fall Update & Food Summit Photos

As we put the garden to bed from another successful season, a few highlights...

• This season we had about 15 families gardening on the DTFarm site all summer.  Thank you all for your help and dedication.
• We successfully installed one more zone of drip tape, and installed two automatic timers for the drip system.  We will continue to improve our drip irrigation system for next year.
• We have been bringing hundreds of students over to the DTFarm to participate in class activities and enjoy the extended fall harvest.
• We have continued saving seed from our heirloom vegetables and flowers.
• We have set up two leaf composting bins near the alley for neighborhood use.  
• The Boise High staff hosted the first-of-it's-kind student-to-student Food Summit.  About 1000 students participated in the afternoon's events, that began with a luncheon of food trucks and cafeteria service, all including our harvest from the DTFarm. 
• Here are some photos from the day, and here is a link to some press coverage from a writer who happened to be visiting from Rhode Island!  Boise High Food Summit:

Spring Planting! Work Days this weekend and next, and on into June we go!

Hi everyone, I hope you are all enjoying the beautiful weather we are having!

Michael and I are going to be at the farm Saturday morning at 10 (tomorrow) as well as next weekend (and probably Sundays also) to continue our planting and weeding and set up of our drip system.  

Good news - just this week I received word that we are getting more grant funding for irrigation equipment and perhaps a couple of fruit trees for our side of the garden.  I am also in the process of writing a grant to the Boise Schools Foundation regarding some "outdoor classroom" (common sitting area, weather proof whiteboard space, and maybe some shade!) for our gathering area, as well as some funds for composting areas (and we are adding cafeteria composting next year - hope hope hope).

I also have received loads of donated seed from several major suppliers - it is lovely -and Michael is working on a donation letter for local businesses.  We can divvy up other types of chores when we see you this weekend.  

If you cannot make it this weekend or next, we understand, just keep Michael and I in the loop as to how you'd like to be involved and we'll make it happen.

Thank you all for your interest and support of our project.

Community Gardener Meeting Scheduled for Tuesday Feb. 11th, 2014 at 6pm

It is time already to begin our planning for the 2014 season at the Downtown Teaching Farm.  Please come and join us, in Ali Ward's classroom at Boise High School, room 204.  

Families that are interested are welcome to come and ask questions, return gardeners' attendance would be much appreciated so we can update contact information and so everyone can meet Michael Bartlet, who is going to be the community garden coordinator for the 2014 season.  

As always, thank you to all the wonderful volunteers and sponsors of our big fantastic project!  

The meeting will be in room 204, starting at 6:00 pm, expected to last until about 7:30.  You may park behind Boise High and enter the Tech Building from the door nearest the New Gym.  

Looking back, Looking forward...

Well, last year I did a terrible job actually remember to post pictures and information through the blog.  Good news, its a new year, so I can do better!

Here are a bunch of beautiful shots to remind us what we're all working towards.  The students this fall, the families, the food - what a wonderful year it was!

 True story, the boys opened these melons on a road sign.  They could not resist!

 As Mr. Thompson said, regarding our harvest right before frost.  

"Mrs. Ward, this is a little bit of a situation."  

 Seed Saving for the Boise High Seed Library!

 Above: Susan Gann - paraprofessional extraordinaire!

Below:  This is Mr. Quissell and his daughter, the whole project was his idea.  Thank you Erik Quissell!  And way in the back, on the left, working away we can see Heather Cooper - our amazing community gardener coordinator!  Thank you Heather!

 Mrs. Gann and Mrs. Ross, I don't know what I would do without them!

 This is Mrs. St. Tourangeau who keeps us all smart through our not-so-quiet library, and Ms. Becerra -  our wonderful Chemistry teacher - they're helping host the tomato taste testing day.

Thank you so much to all the volunteers and families and small businesses that helped support this project. Also, a special thank you to the FUMC church for their continued support and use of their land, United Water for providing the water for our project, Pipeco for the good deal on drip irrigation supplies, and to the many nurseries that gave us starts and seedlings.  Also - thank you to NENA for the donation that allowed us to create an official sign for the farm.