Now that the transplants and seedlings have had a chance to settle in for a few weeks they have started to put on a lot of growth in a little time! The eggplant leaves are really expanding, and tomatoes are green and lush. Along with desirable plant growth, we also have had an increase in a handful of leaf chewing caterpillars along with sap sucking aphids and whiteflies! We are currently using BT against the caterpillars and neem oil against the sap suckers. It will be an uphill battle.  Thankfully there are some beneficial insects helping us out, including ladybeetles and spiders. We are continuing to add plants to our garden. Beets, lettuce, cabbage, and cauliflower were not planted earlier because of the heat. Lettuce is planted this week, and we expect to break ground with the cabbage and cauliflower next week. Beets need a bit longer because their roots aren't strong enough to transplant yet. Very soon our gardens will be full of MANY colors: bright green lettuce, red beet leaves and lettuce, purple eggplant leaves and kohlrabi, yellow squash and tomato flowers, on and on. One student brought in some borage seeds, an herb which has a blue flower and tastes like cucumber. Of course, the fertilizer also represents the blue on our garden color chart.

Garden Friend eating a Garden Enemy

Lettuce was planted this week! Soon to come is cauliflower, cabbage, and beets!

Peas are emerging after a week.

Goodnight lettuce!