It was a busy week in July at the Roosevelt Island Living Library & Think Park.  The Eggplant and Squash are flowering and the Cucumbers and  Peppers are almost ready to pick. We survived a difficult heat wave in NYC, but the garden has emerged stronger and more lush.  Last week the students, staff, and volunteers worked very diligently caring for our RI Living Library & Think Park Garden.

The students broke out into work groups and focused on essential tasks in the Garden. The Compost Group turned the compost, and made note of the diverse insect life growing therein. The Watering Team made sure to give each bed a good soaking to help withstand this heat. The Weeding Crew re-established edges and bed lines, and helped clean the sidewalk,  getting the weeds into the compost. And, finally the Planting Team planted more flowers in the flower bed, as well as five different types of greens. Boston Lettuce, Red Lettuce, Swiss Chard, Spinach, and Collard Greens were planted in our new Lettuce & Dark Greens Bed.  The youth also completed a Garden Design activity in which they pooled ideas for how best to design a garden, and illustrated their Dream Gardens with paper and colored pencils. 

Blog post submitted by Roosevelt Island Living Library &  Think Park Garden Teacher, Avi Nagel.