First Day In the Orchard Gardens: Vines, Spit, and a Plum Tree Ghost
Day one of our CFE is in the books, and our hands are officially dirty (in the best way).
We kicked things off with a tour around the garden, getting to know the cast of plants and animals calling this place home. Then we got to work: planting seeds, pulling weeds, and helping with general garden maintenance.
Morning Glory: The Garden's Friendly(?) Takeover Artist
The morning glory has grand ambitions, namely, taking over the garden. It's got a particular interest in the raspberry bushes, so we spent some time gently unwinding its thick vines from them. This sparked some serious curiosity: How does morning glory interact with an ecosystem in a healthy way? What conditions make it thrive? Good questions to keep asking as we watch where and how it grows.
Spit Happens (Spittlebug Edition)
Ever seen little blobs of white foam on plants and thought, "Who spit here?" That's the work of spittlebugs! Those foam nests protect the eggs the mama bug lays inside. Once the foam dries up, the eggs hatch. We found lots of these nests hanging out on soft plants, especially buttercups.
Critter Corner
We also spotted a black slug (slow and stylish), plus a mama spider guarding her egg sac. Respect.
Gardening on a Grave (Seriously)
In one corner of the garden, we weeded and prepped a bed that sits right on top of an old plum tree's grave. The tree was cut down after it was found to have Black Knot fungus, a disease that targets Prunus trees. The garden team buried the wood rather than burning it (which is not allowed at UBC), a smart way to prevent the fungus from spreading to other trees.
On that mound of soil and decomposing wood, we sowed two carrot varieties: Rainbow Blend and Bolero. Carrots and onions are known to be good companions, so we transplanted some small onions around the edge. Results coming in a few weeks, stay tuned!
Taste Test Time
Everyone got to bring a little something home. In the pail? Corn greens is a leafy green you can use just like lettuce or spinach. It is used at fancy restaurants around the world. So now we are officially fancy!
Also pictured: garlic scapes (we harvested those for eating too). We also tasted fava beans and took a big whiff of lemon balm, which smells exactly like sunshine and happiness.
