Thanks to our many supporters!

Kaysin Turner, 7, a 2nd grader at BES,
stands with a cartful of groceries as he
participates in the Seed to Table project. 

Thanks to our many supporters over the past year, our learning garden has grown and grown.

Recently, BES was featured in Foster's Daily Democrat for the kid's amazing efforts with the garden as well as their focus on giving back to the community.

BES and the garden stewards wish to thank the following people and organizations for their continued support and donations. Without their help, our amazing learning garden would not be possible.

• Kelly Dwyer at NH Audubon
• National Wildlife Federation Eco-Schools USA
• Barrington PTA
• NH Master Gardener's Association
• New England Grassroots Environment Fund
• Paul Sanders and his facilities team at BES
• Ryan Swain
• Barrington Cub Scouts
• Mr. Lines, BMS Tech Ed teacher
• Julieanne Coleman
• Barrington Community Garden members
• Ron Christie and other members of UNH Cooperative Extension

The garden has been put to bed for the winter and we are planning for an exciting 2017 planting year. If you would like to be involved with this project either as a volunteer or a financial supporter, please contact Kristin or Laura at BES.

Fall Gardening

At our September Open House students had the opportunity to taste tomatoes and cucumbers grown in the BES Learning Garden. 

The Barrington Cub Scouts came to BES on a Saturday and filled the 4 new beds with loam. 

We have 4 new beds ready for the BES Pumpkin Patch! Thank you to the PTA for donating the funds needed to make this happen.

2 of our BES student gardeners doing some fall clean up! 

The 1st Year of the BES Learning Garden was an amazing success! 

Special thanks to Ms. Joslin for her work on this project. 

More fall clean up and the winter rye is planted.

Stay tuned for more happenings in the BES Learning Garden.

Visit our garden at the 9/15 open house

Our garden has a new sign fully installed! Thank you to Mr. Lines the BMS Tech Ed teacher for making the sign and Mr. Sanders and his facilities crew for installation. Be sure to visit our garden at open house (this coming Thursday 9/15) and sample some treats created with our crops.

The summer garden harvest continues

This week BES students made two batches of dill pickles with cucumbers from our garden! After the work was done, they enjoyed a fresh veggie plate with cherry tomatoes, a green pepper and cucumbers.

Yummy pesto made from basil in the garden

Ms. Joslin and kids from the summer skills camp will be busy this summer with the garden harvest and making bird feeders and gird houses. First batch of BES Learning Garden pesto!

Harvest Time

It was a short growing season this year due to it being the first time for the garden. However, we were able to harvest radishes in time for the kids to enjoy a colorful addition to their lunchtime salad.

Learning how to clean and prepare our veggies for delivery to the kitchen!

Delivery to Ms. Julie!  Learning how radishes are sliced for salads. Kate S., Brady V. & Demitrius T. All helped Ms. Julie in the kitchen. Ben C. Enjoying farm to table salad in school today!! 

Quality Time in the Garden

Ms. Doyle, Adam P. & Mason G. Enjoying time in the garden! 

Kylie D., Bryden M., & Eli S. Planting cucumbers!

Tomatoes & Cucumbers

Thanks to our friends who helped us plant tomatoes and cucumbers today.

4th grade students - Katharine M., Lily F., Evan G., Mason S.

More vegetables added to the garden today

Today, our friends Garrett, Roddy, Brynn and Aliza planted all kinds of good things, including radish, lettuce and spinach seeds in the second bed. They dug their holes, planted the seeds, carefully spacing them from each other, and watered.

We noticed that these same seeds, planted in the first bed the week before, were already starting to poke their heads out of the soil. The kids were very excited to see this. The lettuce looked like tiny clovers to the kids and we talked about how the lettuce would grow and how big it would get.

And we're planting!

Students planted this week! We have basil plants in and then we sowed some seeds... radishes, spinach and lettuce. All have been watered daily with our handmade soda bottle watering cans and marked with plant markers made out of paint stirrers.

                                            

                          

The First Garden Ambassadors are Chosen

Ms. Joslin, Ryan Swain, and the garden ambassadors, planted and watered the first seeds.

Today, the children who would become the first school garden ambassadors were chosen. Bernadette, Ellie, Arhi and Lila planted radish, spinach and two types of lettuce seeds in the rich loamy soil.

They enjoyed digging the rows with their trowels and planting the tiny seeds. Research indicates that dirt does the body (and brain good). These girls loved the dirt and patted the soil very carefully back over the seeds after they were planted.

Questions such as "how long will it take the plants to grow" and "can I come again tomorrow" were the most commonly asked. It was wonderful to see these four kids playing and working in the soil and enjoying every moment of it.

(L to R) Lila, Ellie, Bernadette and Arhi looking at their handy work.

Lastly, they watered their newly planted seedlings with soda bottles that had caps with several holes drilled in the top. This made it easy for the kids to direct the water stream right on to the area that needed it. They took turns watering their sections, put their tools away, and went back to class with all the new knowledge they had gained about the planting process.

An Outdoor Space to Learn and Grow!

Community member and parent, Traci Bisson approached BES earlier in the year about creating a school garden. Traci is an incredibly knowledgeable gardener and also knows how to write grants. She has secured resources for us to start a wonderful school garden in the courtyard. Please visit this blog and watch our garden grow!

James, Annabelle, Mitch and Landon cover the bed in order to help the soil heat up! 

Delivering the soil

We had six yards of super loam delivered from Barrington Mulch & Flower, who donated the cost of delivery, on April 8th. 

Tim Joslin & Ray Bisson worked hard to fill both raised beds in the courtyard as well as change out the soil in the two flowers beds on the right side of the school building. 

Ms. Joslin, Traci Bisson and Mrs. Deely raked the soil into the beds, leveling it out. The soil will now be warmed with the assistance of black plastic. The planting will begin in mid-May.

Barrington Mulch & Flower delivering super loam for the raised beds.

Tim Joslin and Ray Bisson filling the flower beds with new soil.

Ray Bisson putting the soil in a raised bed.

(L to R) Mrs. Deely & Kristin Joslin raking the soil.

(L to R) Mrs. Deely, Traci Bisson & Kristin Joslin