Tag: elizabeth

Jackie from Groundwork Elizabeth has joined students from Woodrow Wilson School No.19 on their Multicultural Day for another day of planting!

You may ask yourself; what did the students plant? More milkweed! We can’t wait to see monarch butterflies all around Union County!

Milkweed Tip:

For harmful insects, spray insects off the milkweed plant using water. If insect population is high spray the plant with 100 liquid dish soap mixed with water, wait a few minutes and then rinse with fresh water. Do not use pesticides as this will hurt butterflies who try to feed and nest on the plants

Madison Monroe School No.16 students and faculty have welcomed a variety of different plants to their school!

Reminder: Earth boxes only need watering through the tube when reservoir is dry. However, watering varies greatly. For instance, a full grown tomato plant needs watering once a day. Young starter plants can be watered every 1-2 weeks.

Chairman Granados, Vice-Chairwoman Palmieri-Mouded, and Commissioner Leon joined students and teachers from Nicholas Butler School No.23 for a fun day of planting!

When students were asked about their favorite fruit, answers varied but some of the most popular answers were strawberries and grapes. Lucky for them, they will be able to grow their very own watermelons, cucumbers, and tomatoes! We can’t wait to see these gardens flourish.

Once again, we return to Mabel G. Holmes School No. 5 for their second year of planting! While we did not plant garlic this time around, students from School No.5 welcomed tomatoes, squash, basil, and many more to their garden.

Did you know that students at Mabel G. Holmes are also growing and taking care of their very own lavender trees? All thanks to their teacher Mr. Frumolt, who has his very own garden at home!

On that very same day of 5/10/2023 we were lucky enough to visit the annex school of Nicholas Butler School No.23 to continue gardening! Unlike the main building where students planted in raised bed gardens, students planted in Earth Box gardens!

Container gardening is perfect anywhere, especially in small areas with limited outdoor space and no grass needed! One of the benefits about these Earth Box gardens are its ability to conserve water. Did you know that these types of gardens can hold up to 3 gallons of water? That’s a lot of water! This in return makes it easier for gardeners to maintain their plants hydrated and less labor-intensive than traditional gardening.

Students from John E. Dwyer School & Admiral William F. Halsey Technology Academy were joined by Commissioner Sergio Granados and Commissioner Lourdes Leon on Monday morning for their third year of gardening!

Not only does Dwyer and Halsey house pollinator gardens in their courtyard, they have also been able to establish a greenhouse so they can plant all year round!

Fun fact: Chairman Sergio Granados and Commissioner Lourdes Leon are both alumni from the Elizabeth Public School System: Admiral William F. Halsey Technology Academy and Elizabeth High School.

Victor Mravlag School No. 21 has welcomed cherry black tomatoes to their garden!

While cherry black tomatoes weren’t the only fruits planted, but they sure are one of the most interesting and rare fruits to be growing.

Unlike the common household tomatoes that are characterized by their red color, cherry black tomatoes are strikingly dark-colored. Interestingly, black cherry tomatoes contain lycopene, an antioxidant that can decrease a person’s risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer.

Toussaint L’overture-Marquis de Lafayette School No.6 has welcomed milkweeds to their garden! For those who may not know, milkweed attracts monarch butterflies and other support pollinators. For this reason, milkweeds are the required host plants needed for monarch butterflies to lay their eggs.

Not only will milkweed attract monarch butterflies to numerous gardens around the county, its flowers will also provide nectar for bees, beetles, flies and other beneficial insects that will help transfer pollen for seed production!

Trivia: What are milkweeds named after?

Milkweeds are named after their milky latex found in their stems, leaves and pods. While this milky latex may attract pollinators, it can be dangerous to animals if consumed in large amounts.