an official website of the
COUNTY OF UNION, NEW JERSEY
Chairman Granados attended the School Garden Grant Program alongside students from Abraham Lincoln School No.14 in Elizabeth!
This year, School No. 14 welcomed two new raised bed gardens. Often, raised beds are more productive than beds in the ground because the soil is less compacted, has better drainage, and warms earlier in the spring. We can’t wait to see the growth of these gardens!
Mother Seton Regional Highschool’s garden club has kicked off their garden planting season with some festival acorn squash!
Festival acorn squash are creamy colored with green and orange stripes. This type of squash should be picked until its exterior rinds are fully colored and tough enough to resist piercing with a fingernail.
Jackie from Groundwork Elizabeth joined Gardener Keshon from the Linden Community Center for a fun day of planting!
One of the most popular plants in this garden are collard greens! Collard greens are the oldest leafy green in the cabbage family. It dates back 2000 years and it was originally grown by the ancient Greeks and Romans!
Faculty and students from AP Morris Elementary have planted their very own pollinator garden!
When caring for a pollinator garden, it is important to plant flowers that bloom in early spring and late summer so pollinators have adequate food when emerging from and preparing for winter hibernation.
Kawameeh Middle School’s garden club was joined by Union Township Superintendent Scott Taylor for an educational and fund day of planting!
Kawameeh Middle School is one of the many schools harvesting their vegetables in Earth Boxes.
One of the most important components of these earth boxes are the mulch covers. These covers stop weeds from transplanting in the system, prevent evaporation, conserve water, and keeps rain out of the growing plants to prevent necessary nutrients from being washed away.
Union County Vice Chairwoman Kimberly Palmieri-Mouded attended the Community Garden Grant Program at the Springfield Free Public Library alongside faculty and residents!
One of the most interesting fruits being grown at this garden is none other than a pumpkin!
Fun Fact: Pumpkins contain about 500 seeds and take between 90 to 120 days to reach maturity.
Commissioner Lourdes Leon joined students and faculty from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. School No. 52 on their multicultural day for another day of planting!
On today’s agenda…cucumbers!
What type of vitamins do cucumber supply humans with?
Just one cucumber contains Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6, Folic Acid, Vitamin C, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium and Zinc.
Union County Vice Chairwoman Kimberly Palmieri-Mouded attended the Kids Dig In Planting at the Arthur L. Johnson High School in Clark!
The school was awarded a Raised Bed Garden. We thank the principal and teachers for applying to our garden grant program for the first time this year!
Sherman Elementary s one of many schools growing watermelons!
Did you know that seedless watermelons aren’t genetically modified? They’re actually a hybrid watermelon created by crossing a watermelon with 22 chromosomes with a watermelon with 44 chromosomes.
The Gateway Family YMCA of Rahway and Groundwork Elizabeth have planted butternut squash!
Fun Fact: When planting butternut squash, it is important to have a large area for cultivation as the vines can grow up to 15 feet in length! In addition, studies have found that butternut squash can be beneficial for one’s lung health as it can reduce the risk of lung cancer.
