Eagle Nest Community Garden
Orcas are the second most popular plants that are being grown in gardens this year. Orcas can refer to two kinds, the first being the ‘Agave Ovatifolia.’ This plant is known for its frosty blue-grey leaves and wide yellow margins and can grow up to 2 feet tall!
The second is the ‘Venus Flytrap CCCP.’ This carnivorous plant is known for its deep traps and lacy dentition along the edges. Be on the lookout for these plants!
Eagle’s Nest
Today was another exciting day at Elmora School No. 12 – they were awarded an ADA Garden Bed! We saw this group of students work as a team and saw how their hard work paid off!
This garden is becoming greener and more beautiful each week. We are excited to see it grow! Continue to make new discoveries about your garden! We look forward to coming back next year 😊
Pantoja Gardens
On today’s visit, Groundworks Board Chair Sergio Granados was in attendance. Thank you, John, for teaching the students how to take care of their new garden!
We love how passionate the teacher and students are about their new ADA raised garden bed! We can’t wait to see the new, amazing things that grow in the garden!
Thyme: The Delicious Herb
Welcome back to Thomas Edison Career & Technical School in Elizabeth, NJ. This year, we learned thyme is being put into the gardens from Groundwork Elizabeth!
Not only is thyme very delicious in our foods, it is also full of antioxidants and is a great source of beta-carotene (a red-orange plant pigment) and folic acid (Vitamin B). Thyme can also be used for soothing wounds, preventing infections, and treating congestion and stomach pain.
Out of this World 🌎 Gardening
Union County Commissioner Palmieri-Mouded was in attendance at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. School No. 52!
A fun fact about one of the flowers we planted: the Zinnia. Did you know that it was the first flower to bloom in outer space?
In 2016, NASA astronaut Scott Kelly was able to successfully grow bright orange Zinnias on the International Space Station (ISS). This was an active project at the time to understand how plants can grow in microgravity.
Dig, Plant, GROW!
Union County Commissioner Stanley Neron joined Thomas Jefferson Arts Academy High School, where they received an ADA raised garden bed!
One of the things that they were able to plant was tomatoes. We just learned that tomatoes may contain hornworms! Hornworms are little plant ninjas that love to hide on tomato plants and munch on the leaves. Be on the lookout for the hornworms!
We love the sign that you made, and we wish you the best of luck with your new garden!
Planting 101
Union County Commissioner Stanley Neron joined JVJ STEM Academy with their new raised garden bed!
Thank you to all of the students who came out to plant with John from Groundwork Elizabeth.
A fun fact about planting: plant roots continue growing after the top growth slows. Root development is especially active during cooler weather. Helping plants establish before the next growing season.
Cherry Tree Time
Did you know that one cherry tree can grow thousands of cherries in a single season? They also attract pollinators in the spring and produce flavorful fruit that can be enjoyed fresh or used in recipes!
Growing Together
A big thank you to the team at Groundwork Elizabeth for helping Jerome Dunn Academy with their raised bed garden!
One fun fact about gardening is a process called Biofuel. It is widely known for helping plants grow by giving them energy through a process called Photosynthesis. Plants use sunlight, water, and air to make their own food and grow big and strong! Did you also know that biofuel can also be used to run machines, even cars?
Memories Made in The Garden
Union County Commissioner Stanley J. Neron joined Donald Stewart Center School No. 51 with their new raised garden bed!
All of the wonderful students that came out to see the presentation from John with Groundwork Elizabeth.
Did you know that plants can communicate with each other underground with tiny fungal threads? It’s called a Mycorrhizal Network 😊
We love the garden that has been growing and can’t wait to see how the new garden flourishes!