Elusive Solution, thy name is not cardboard

We really thought the cardboard was going to do the trick. And it sort of did. Sort of. The main garden is on a hillside, so it gets pretty windy. Remember, these are Montanan winds we're talking about so when I say winds, I mean super big gusts. Even the behemoth washer and dryer boxes slid around.

Uncovered spots of ground inevitably opened up between the moving sheets of cardboard. It was like trying to stop lava from pouring out of the ground while the tectonic plates just kept rubbing against each other for all eternity. But instead of lava, merciless spider armies appeared. The latter being far worse.

Jordan pillaged the cardboard nation and began to weed whack the undead grass in the main garden. Thankfully, the area is much nicer to walk on post-whack. However, the mosquitos who have in recent weeks nestled into the long grass swiftly exacted their revenge. They grow in numbers day by day despite the destruction of their habitat. Forget flowers or vegetables or year old manure, Lemon Eucalyptus insect repellent is a gardener's best friend.

At this point, we are looking into purchasing a used or new reel mower. The process of cutting grass would be more efficient and kids could help mow the main garden because there would be no scary gas powered spinning blades of death.

And guess what!
Round Two is in the hydroponic! Round One of butterhead lettuce will be ready for harvest next Monday. The newly tranplanted 36 baby butterheads are sitting pretty in their pumice sofas. We found an old aquarium tank screen at the Salvation Army's Mega Thrift Store in Kalispell and put it to use sifting the silt and dead plant material out of the pumice rocks. After Jordan sifted, Katie sterilized the rocks in the cafeteria ovens and planted the second round.

Looking over our 12 step goal list from last month, we noticed that we had accomplished almost all of them. What?/Hooray! These are the big goals we're working towards now:

1. Assemble potato towers
2. Install three birdhouses on garden fence
3. Acquire picnic tables for the garden
4. Clear out old shrubs and prickly weeds up against school building walls in courtyard and garden
5. Replace old shrubs and prickles with hollyhocks and marigolds
6. Stain the hydroponic shed and picnic tables
7. Train beans to climb tepee and fence
8. Paint maintenance shed
9. Make labels for each plant
10. Put together possible lesson plans for classroom garden use
11. Implement an improved watering system
12. Draw diagram of everything planted in garden, courtyard, and beds surrounding the greenhouse

We have quite the list and only a month left here in Montana! Here we go!