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It may have been freezing cold outside on and off this winter, but that did not stop us from producing crops all year long, including in the winter.  Outside, in the garden lab, we used frost covers to produce a second crop of carrots and turnips.  Inside we produced a huge crop of lettuce and herbs on two hydroponic towers.  We delivered the fresh produce from the hydroponic tower straight to the cafeteria to be served in salads for lunch.  Yummy!!

Classes went outside to the garden lab throughout winter to observe the changes in the living things in the garden, to experiment with weather instruments, document bird behavior in nature journals, watch wind patterns as the wind created different patterns in the snow, and look for any animal tracks in the snow.  You could even catch a class or two snuggled up in their coats to read or hear a story on a warmer day.

This winter in the garden lab started out with a heavy freeze and turned quickly to weeks of spring-like temperatures.  The raised beds were completed with the new stone, two raised beds and the fig tree have been covered with frost covers to protect the crops, and classes continue to explore and learn outside in this special space to record the changes that have occurred during this season.  VA Agriculture in the Classroom continues to support our learning in the garden by funding new frost cover materials and expanding our winter hydroponic gardening by purchasing a dolly for the farmstand and an extension to increase crop production.

Students could harvest sunflower and hyacinth bean seeds earlier in the winter for our annual seed sale in the spring.

Our crop production continued inside the school with a successful hydroponic growing system from Lettuce Grow.  With a Virginia Agriculture in the Classroom grant, we expanded our Farm Stand and increased the production of lettuce, spinach, herbs, and edible flowers.  All of our produce was harvested by students and given to the cafeteria staff to clean and prepare salads for lunch.

This winter in the garden lab has been as busy as ever with pockets of warmer weather mixed with times of snow with freezing temperatures.  Our students have been able to get into the garden with instruction continuing outside.  Thanks to a grant from the VA Agriculture in the Classroom, we could purchase more frost covers and cover the fig tree and three crops in raised beds.  Our budding horticulturalists have been watching the cabbage, carrot, and broccoli crops with great excitement as the crops have survived the cold weather and are getting closer to harvest time.  Our cafeteria staff still have access to some of the herbs to cook with, such as rosemary, thyme, and oregano.

Seeds have been harvested and set out to dry for our sunflowers and hyacinth beans.  Lavender continues to be harvested by our students as it is popular to use as a soothing smell in the classroom.  Birds continue to actively fly in and out of the birdhouse or in search of food.  Students continue to observe, collect, and learn in this outdoor learning lab.

These students create garden collection bags to collect items with smells or textures they want to share with their families.

We moved the Lettuce Grow Farmstand, our hydroponic growing tower, into the building and are growing another crop of lettuce, kale, spinach, and herbs.  With our new GroLights, the crops have thrived and observations have been documented throughout the growing cycle.  By the beginning of March, we are ready for another harvest and plan to feed at least two grade levels with small salads in the cafeteria for lunch.  Students grew, harvested, delivered to the cafeteria, and ate the food they had grown.

The seedlings were planted in January by our gardeners. 

  Our winter lettuce, kale and spinach crops

This winter was an unusual winter as students and staff were home for most of the season due to COVID with only essential workers in the school.  For the most part, the garden cared for itself as nature does.

We were able to protect the fig tree with a new method of covering it with frost covers.

Some late crops like some of the beets and snow peas, actually made it all winter long, along with a lettuce crop in the cold frame that was harvested in January. 

When our hybrid students and staff returned to school, the garden was a buzz with life as our school family instructed in the garden, found refuge in the garden, and ate lunch there.  There were beautiful things to sketch and write about in our nature journals, like fungi and ferns.

Now signs of spring are already arriving in late February with some of the bulbs peeking out with the first leaves, birds chirping, and the next cycle of life happening.

The floating row covers were used over the fig tree and three raised beds this year. 

Due to a mild winter, we have been successfully protecting our crops and harvesting lettuce, carrots, garlic, turnips, and radishes all winter.  We still have turnips growing.  In the cold frame, we harvested and ate the carrots.  Students and teachers could enjoy the garden lab year round with winter harvests, poetry development, music creations, and leisurely lunches under the pergola.

The floating row covers have successfully protected our crops during multiple severe freezes and remain covered despite heavy winds.

Mrs. Cunningham and Mrs. Reles’ Kindergarten classes are experimenting with hydroponic planting in a planting tower.  Hydroponic planting means planting without the use of soil.  Our kindergartners are using coco peat as a planting medium.  At the center of the tower is a pipe connected to a base with water that has liquid plant food.  A pump pushes the water up the pipe attached to a sprinkler system at the top of the tower.  The plants are given these liquid nutrients once a day.  A winter crop of lettuce is on the way!

Our hydrophonic towers are from Mr. Stacky at www.mrstacky.com/#*.  Thank you to the LCPS Nutrition Department for our hydroponic towers!

The tiered strawberry bed and trellis installation was completed at the beginning of March due to the dedication and hard work put in by the Loudoun High School NJROTC cadets.  The cadets topped off the raised beds with new soil in preparation for spring planting.  The garden lab is ready for Spring!

The new pad behind the shed was constructed mid-February in order to stabilize the compost tumbler.  Now that we have solved the problem with the stability of the compost tumbler, we can order another compost tumbler and start our compost program in the near future.  Thank you to Giovanni, owner of Set in Stone, for coming in with his crew over the weekend to complete the project.

 We started preparing for the new tiered strawberry bed and trellis for the apple espalier tree.  Thank you to Pop, Mr. Cunningham, Jimmy, Bobby, and Jim Phillips for helping on Superbowl Sunday.

The seed harvest was completed as winter drew closer.  Students could harvest butterfly weed seeds, sunflower seeds, and milkweed seeds.  Kindergarten students have made cuttings of rosemary and lavender.  The cuttings have been propagated in order to grow new plants in the classroom over the winter.

 Winter Observations are an essential part of nature journal writing and keeping track of what is happening in the garden lab during the following season.  Many people believe that there is not much going on in a garden during the winter, but our students and staff will tell you that it is far from the truth.  Our students noticed that Pop had carefully insulated the fig tree with straw to prepare for freezing temperatures.  One first grader thought the fig tree looked like it had a skirt on.  Students notice the changes in plants with the recent freeze and write down their observations.