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The Garden Plot: Season End Learning Through Gardening

Most homeowners are probably gardened out by this time of the year. But if you do a few simple chores now it will give you a leg up come spring. See Jim’s list of four to do this September to minimize your headaches next spring. You might even unearth some embedded learning in the process!

Category: Contributing Writer, Jim McSweeney, Nature Based Education Tags: arborist, gardening, Hilltown Tree and Garden, landcaping, Western Massachuestts

The Garden Plot: An Intro to the Summer Hit of Goatscaping!

You might think it to be a new trend, but Goatscaping is in the news because it’s effective and it works! In “The Garden Plot” this month, Jim takes us to the heart of the summer smash hit that has people talking, goats munching, and weeds disappearing! He gives valuable and considerate insight into maximizing the power of the goat in your garden that will last long beyond when the buzz settles, leaving your kids with valuable lessons.

Category: Jim McSweeney Tags: gardening, goatscaping, Hilltown Tree and Garden, landcaping, Western Massachuestts

The Garden Plot: Tending Gardens & Family Learning Opportunities

“The greatest fertilizer is the farmers footprint” captures the essence of Jim’s column on garden chores this month in “The Garden Plot.” By now you’ve either beaten the planting deadline or have not. If you have….Congratulations!!! Now the real work starts. The core necessity is not any high-minded science but merely to pay attention to your garden. Notice how it grows, where are the weed hot-spots, how is the hydration, and a few more things.

Give your kids tasks and get them involved in the family garden, exercising their own skills of observations and taking pride in their chores. In a family garden there is visible pay-off, which boosts a child’s confidence and sense of being able to influence change and growth. Learn together and share the experience… and at the end of the day, fresh veggies for your family dinner!