More garden planning

The first thing we ask when we decide whether or not to plant a plant in our garden next year is, "will someone eat it?"  This is the most important question to ask first because we might be wasting space and money, and if nobody is going to eat it, what is the point of planting it?

The second thing we ask when planning our garden is, "will it grow?"  For example, last year we tried a pineapple plant, but it didn't grow because it's too cold in Chicago; pineapples only grow in tropical places.  Another thing that would be be awesome to grow is cocoa beans.  We'd love to have chocolate, but since the climate is wrong, we won't buy seeds to grow them.

The third question we ask when planning our garden is, "do we have enough space?"  Once we've finished our wish list, we'll look at a map of our garden and plan it out.

Here are some of the highlights from our lists of plants we'd like to try in the spring.
Casimir: "Pumpkin is on my wish list because they are delicious, you can decorate them, and you can sell them and get a lot of money."
Ruler: "My plant I would like to grow is watermelon because although honeydew melon is good I think watermelon would top it off."

Rakeem: "Something on my wish list is honeydew melon because it's good and I think a lot of people will eat it."

Cecil: "One thing I would like to plant is a different type of corn that is different colors because people eat corn and it would be nice to try a different type."
Terrence: "A vegetable that is on my wish list is lunchbox red peppers, which I saw in the seed catalog.  I want this vegetable because I really like peppers and it would be nice to try something new."

Using seed catalogs to plan for next year

When the weather looks like this outside...

...it seems like a strange time to think about gardening, but now is the perfect time to use a seed catalog to start planning for what we'll plant in the spring.  Today, we looked through the seed catalogs wrote down the plants we thought we'd like to eat.  Once we finish these wish lists, we'll talk about which plants grow well in our climate, and decide which ones are best for us to grow.

Milaun browsed an online catalog

Here are some highlights from our wish lists:
Lorne: "I chose white yams because I tried them over Thanksgiving and they didn't taste like I thought they would."
Jamari: "I chose Walla Walla Sweet Onions because it's a weird name and it must mean they're really sweet."
Milaun: "I chose blueberries because they taste great and I like to wear blue outfits."
Alzario: "I'm looking into heirloom fruits and herbs because I thought that only vegetables came in heirloom varieties."

Jamari used a paper catalog that comes in the mail each winter.

Fixing the fence

Chickens dig in the ground to get food.  This can be a problem because they can accidentally dig under a fence and get into our neighbors' yard.  To fix this, we attached chicken wire to the bottom of the chain link fence.

Yesterday it was a very warm day.  Today was the complete opposite.  Ruler described the weather with one word: "frostbite."  Why do we always get winter days when we have Agriculture Task Force?

Cecil hammers in landscape staples while Terrence connects chicken wire to the fence with zip ties.

Cleaning the chicken coop

Mr. Dwyer told us we were cleaning the chicken coop today in agriculture.  Here are our first reactions:
Milaun: Cleaning the chicken coop is gross and flabbergasting because of all the feces.
Alzario: Cleaning the chicken coop is abnormal because many people don't clean out chickens, and it's not a pet.  Well, unless you live on a farm.
Jamari: Cleaning the chicken coop makes me want to scream when I first look at it because it's disgusting.
Toby: Cleaning the chicken coop is very dirty.
Lorne: It makes me feel weird because nobody likes having to touch poop.

Alzario is a little hesitant.

Milaun is not so sure he likes what he sees in there.

Then Mr. Dwyer challenged us to think about the something positive about cleaning the chicken coop.  Here are our second thoughts:
Milaun: Cleaning the chicken coop is benevolent because we are soon going to move them to their new home.
Alzario: Cleaning the chicken coop is good because we're keeping the chickens safe from disease, and the dirt won't freeze.
Jamari: Cleaning the chicken coop allows the chickens to have a safe and clean environment, and it allows the compost to grow when we put the poop in the compost.
Toby: Cleaning the chicken coop is astonishing because not many people get to do it.
Lorne: Cleaning the chicken coop is helpful for the compost.

Toby gets to work cleaning out the nest boxes.

Milaun sweeps the floor of the coop.  This will make great compost!

Mr. Dwyer and Toby put fresh straw in the nest boxes

Almost all clean in there.

Alzario and Jamari are proud of having done a difficult but important job.

All photos by Jamari, except the last one, which Mr. Dwyer took.