Checkmark, Checkpoint, Checkmate

To apologize for the delay between this post and the last, Katie bows fully and lowly.

Why did Katie do such a thing? How could she deprive you, dear reader, of an update on the garden for a solid week and a half? Well, if you can imagine two pen wielding hands frantically crossing off items on a list...you're not imagining anything. You just happened to magically apparit (potter style) to our office at Somers.

Mr. Onion meets Mr. Bunion

We will be crying tears of blood when we are forced to leave Montana on August 12th. But until then, we are engaging in the Final Push of Doom. Sounds dangerous, right? Don't worry, the risks involved are minimal. Either Katie will face early baldness due to stress or Jordan will sign a deal with Beelzebub to employ demonic minions to finish the remaining tasks. Eh, minimal.



Checkmarks
What we have left to do, to cross off with a satisfying checkmark, is the following---

Guess which section hasn't been stained

• Weed all raised beds
• Finish plant labels
• Transplant basil in the green house to the hydroponic shed
• Laminate plant labels
• Put ground cloth and sawdust down in the main garden to establish walkways
• Harvest onions and garlic
• Plant purple mountain spinach and remaining kale seeds
• Order more butterhead lettuce seeds
• Pick raspberries to make preserves
• Figure out who will water the garden when we leave (ah!)
• Clean and refill hydroponic system
• Start notebook for weights and dates for all harvested produce
• Finish staining the hydroponic shed
• Put straw down on top of existing grass mulch under the tepee trellis
• Weed everything (aka oy vey)

Items that have been lovingly slashed with a line were completed in the last few days.

Checkpoint
What checkpoint? Well, the one marking this our last week! Hence the creation of the above list!

Checkmate(s), or our greatest successes
1. Jordan drained and scrubbed the entire hydroponic system. It will be up and running before we leave so that the students will be able to plant the next round. Plus, we have a notebook filled with our experience stabilizing the pH so that the doing-this-for-the-first-time struggle will be avoided.

2. Katie harvested the onions out of the main garden, laid down ground cloth, and finished staining the shed. The onions were laid out on a tarp to dry for 2 1/2 days and are now swaddled within the same tarp on a counter in the school kitchen.

Ready, Set, GO GET EVERYTHING DONE!