Havearbejde og hjemmeskole -- Homeschooling in the Garden

Sidste år havde jeg mildt sagt ikke så meget energi, så bedene blev renset for rødder sidst i marts, plantet til, og så skete der ikke rigtigt mere. I år er energiniveauet højere, og lockouten lader os jo afholde biologitimer udendørs. Lige nu er lektionerne: 1) Lær at kende forskel på rødder fra kvikgræs og snerler. 2) Hvor mange gange kan man fylde en 10-litersspand med rødder fra et bed på 6 × 1,10 m. (svaret er 12!) Hønsene er vældig glade for at hjælpe os med at tømme spanden igen.
  Vi har nu ryddet to bede og i dag fik Uglemor endelig købt noget mere såjord, så nu skal der altså plantes ud. De små - eller nok ikke længere så små - planter skriger efter bedre plads.

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Last year MotherOwl, and the garden still suffered from lack of energy. The beds were weeded in March, vegetables planted and then nothing more happened. Our strawberries were almost swallowed by grass and bindweed strangled the rest. We are hoping for a better year this year.

We already cleaned two beds - the ones with grass and strawberries. The strawberries wetre moved - too late I know - but a few strawberries are way better than none. The lessons for the Owlets were: Distinguish grass from bindweed, only looking at the roots as the bindweeds are still dormant. We filled between 12 and 14 buckets from each bed, the chickens were happy helpers when it came to emptying the buckets.

Today MotherOwl bought home some planting soil. Tomorrows lesson is going to be that small plants grow bigger and will be in need of a new home with more soil (something to eat), more water (to drink) and more space (to grow even bigger). We'll look at the roots and hope for happier seedlings.

• De to lugede bede er dem nærmest domen. Det grønne der gror i bedet nærmest fotografen (Uglemor) er pastinakker. Ingen grund til at købe pastinakfrø. Man skal bare lade en enkelt af de overvintrende skønheder brede deres gule skærme ud, og så får man millioner af pastinakker i hele haven.
• The two beds we're done with are the two nearest the dome. De green plants in number three bed (near me) are parsnip. We planted some when we moved in, 18 years ago, and let them bloom the following year. ever since I've had no need for parsnip seeds. I just let one of these green wintering plants grow and open their yellow umbels during the summer - and make seeds. 

 

• Spirillen miner muld til bede, frugtbuske og træer 
• Marsupilami is mining compost for our beds, fruit trees and bushes. 

Morgendagens lektion bliver altså ompotnig af de tomater, vandmeloner osv. vi såede den 2.-5. april. Det bliver til en snak om vand, næring, lysforhold og pladsproblemer. Så tager vi nogle billeder, som vi klæber ind i en bog og skriver lidt om dem. Vi arrangerer også et væddemål/væddeløb mellem de forskellige planter; hvem får først afgrøder på »sin« plante. Skribenten vandt væddemålet om hvilken plante der spirede frem først.Det gjorde vandmelonerne.

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Homeschool lesson for tomorrow will be repotting of small plants. They really need it. We'll probably snap a few pictures, which MotherOwl will print out. They'll be glued into our books, and a description added.
When we sowed the seeds we made a competition, who can guess what'll be the first seed to germinate. The Writer won with watermelon. Maybe we'll make a new one tomorrow. Which plant will carry the first ripe fruit?

• Disse planter længes efter at få et større hjem. 
• Peberfrugter, tomater, vandmeloner, japansk indigo, endnu flere tomater og sukkerroer. Det eneste der ikke er spiret, er vores løvstikke. 
• Small plants longing for a bigger home. At least some of them are. 
•  Bell peppers, tomatoes, watermelons, dyers' knotweed, more tomatoes and even sugar beets. The only thing that did not germinate so far is lovage.