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=Park Avenue School Garden =

The garden was started eight years ago as a project of the Sylvan Heights Neighborhood Association and has gradually changed to become a school garden.
=The Courtyard= In the courtyard we are growing as wide a variety of flowers and vegetables as we can. This allows classes to take short trips to the garden. This year, in the main bed we have planted popcorn and beans in the back and a variety of summer annuals in the front. In the middle of the Courtyard, near the flag pole, we have planted sunflowers in hope of attracting birds. In the past week, we have seen goldfinches, cardinals, and wrens in the courtyard.

Around the edge of the courtyard, we have planted cherry tomatoes, sweet peppers, winter squash and cucumbers. A watermelon, which I and sowed last year, but which never sprouted, emerged this year as a volunteer and has taken over. It has at least one large melon.



In our shady bed, we have members of the celery family, carrots, planted by the 4th grade and our perennialized patch of parsley which we have, once again let go to seed. This demonstrates how biennials grow and provides food for our black swallowtail caterpillars.

=The Side Garden - the Orchard=

The garden on the 38th Avenue side of the school is our orchard. In it, we are growing bush cherries, June berries, and Mulberries. All of these bear fruit right at the end of the school year.



Mulberry Tree Cherry Bush

This year, for the first time, we have milkweed, shown below. This once common wildflower is the primary food for the caterpillars of the Monarch Butterfly which migrates through Nashville going north in March, and going south in September.



We have planted a bed with tomatoes and basil. In the back of the side garden we have a stand of Jerusalem Artichokes. This is neither from Jerusalem nor an artichoke. Its scientific name //Helianthus tuberosa// (the sunflower with tubers) is much more accurate.

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