Free Tomato Seedlings

CARRBOR MARKET FARMERS PROVIDE YOUNG GARDENERS WITH TOMATO SEEDLINGS

 AT THE 9TH ANNUAL KIDS’ SEEDLING GIVEAWAY

SUPPORTED BY FIFTH SEASON GARDENING COMPANY ON APRIL 26TH

Kids start their gardens with a free tomato seedling donated by Carrboro Market farmers with potting soil and growing tips from Fifth Season Gardening Company and kids’ activities by Kidzu Children’s Museum.

April 10, 2013– Carrboro, NC – On Saturday, April 26th, beginning at 8:30 AM, the Carrboro Farmer's Market will give away farmer-grown tomato seedlings to kids.  Kids will get to pick a seedling of their choice and plant it in a cup to take home.  To help the seedlings get well on their way to a life of juicy delicious fruit bearing, Fifth Season Gardening Company will be providing organic potting soil for the pots as well as growing tips and useful information for new gardeners.

Kidzu Children’s Museum and Market volunteers will help kids decorate a label for their seedling and then help them find and thank the farmer that donated it. 

Last year over 400 young gardeners became proud owners of local tomato seedlings at this event, and it has become an annual tradition for many local families. A special thanks to Fifth Season Gardening Company for their generous support in making the Carrboro Farmers’ Market Annual Kids’ Seedling Event possible.

This event is held during the weekend of the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association’s Piedmont Farm Tour, which features many Carrboro Market farmers, making it a fun farm-filled weekend for the community.  During the Farm Tour many local farmers open their farms to the public so visitors can see where their food comes from and how it grows.  Some farms also sell farm products or have special activities for children.  For more information, visit www.carolinafarmstewards.org/pft/.

Second and First Grade in March!

It was a gorgeous and sunny March afternoon at Emerson Farm and Second and First grade came for weeding work and dirt throwing fun!

 With hands in the dirt, the second grade was fired up to cover the garden bed!

 The chickens were out in full force scratching for grubs...

   

 

After Second grade asked questions and left, first grade found some interesting finds, and enjoyed weeding, planting, and wheelbarrowing!

  

 

Early Spring with 3rd grade

Here are a few more photos of third grade from late February, sent in by Rula Mouawad. 


The children have been training the chickens to love them and coming running to them whenever they show up by bringing food, and by never, ever chasing them.  It's working very well.  Whenever there are children there are chickens.  Some of them are even allowing themselves to be picked up without chasing!


One of our projects lately has been to sort the enormous wood pile into more usable stacks.  Here you can see the children gathered around what remains of the original woodpile with the small brush for burning in the foreground.


Some of the wood needed to be cut into more manageable lengths with hand saws



The medium diameter wood got carried to a big pile in the parking lot where Mr. Ostrowski can turn it into wood chips.  We'll let the wood chips compost for 6 months to a year and then use them as mulch in the garden.


Most exciting event of all, our farm assistant, Kristin, returned with baby Josh on the outside instead of hidden on the inside!  He has the sweetest smile and all of us love it when he shines it our way.

3rd Grade Compost, Spinach, and Peas!

In between the cold February days a few warmer days appeared bringing the 3rd grade out to the farm again!

First compost bins from many different classrooms were brought out and added to the big compost heap with pitch forks.

The children had fun throwing mulch on the compost heap as well! :)

Another group took to weeding the spinach beds, which fared very well through the cold months!

 Yet another group took to sifting soil for getting another garden bed ready for planting peas! They loved using the shovels and big sifter. . .

Peas were planted carefully. . . 

More odds and ends were brought with wheelbarrows to the compost heap or to the firepit!

 At the end, children asked and answered questions about their farm experience. . .

In closing, Mary Beth leads a lovely song and goodbye before the children head back to main campus. The feeling of Spring is definitely in the air, and things will soon come to full life again on Emerson Farm!