Friday, February 26, 2016

If at first you don't succeed...... TRY TRY AGAIN!

Fourth grade has learned A LOT about what not to do with hydroponics, but we also learned a lot about what we can do better next time! While out cilantro, kale, mint, and basil did not survive, we are going to try again. We discovered that we did not allow them enough growing time before we transferred them into the tower. This time around, we are planting butter lettuce seeds that are coated in a special nutrient that will help them survive and become hearty. Once the plants have grown to a height of about 4 inches, we can transfer them to the farm wall.

Stay tuned to see out newest adventure in hydroponics!!

Remember: FAIL = First Attempt In Learning  :)




Wednesday, February 10, 2016

Salsa Fiesta


Winter blues got you down?
Head over to Primary in a few months as we grow all the ingredients for salsa from seed to table.
Tomatoes, cilantro, chives, peppers, and even strawberries will be featured in our homemade salsa. 
¡Bienvenidos!



Tuesday, February 9, 2016

More Peas Please

2nd grade is gearing up for a new planting challenge! We have learned so much about how to take care of our plants due to our successes and failures. We will be planting and comparing peas and butter crunch lettuce using soil and hydroponics. Students will be meeting with 4th grade students to compare results and in the end make a decision about which they think worked better. We are excited to begin this journey and can't wait to share our results and progress with you!

Out with the Old in with the New

Third graders are going to be using hydroponic butter crunch seeds to see how they grow in soil!

We will be using our knowledge of plants to research Mexican culture. We will examine how their climate influences what they grow and eat.

Wednesday, February 3, 2016

New Seeds, No New Fish

5th grade's long, leafy, green lettuce began to look like this during the last week of January:

We found out that leaf lettuce comes to maturity after about 40 days. Since we planted ours in October, we should have harvested them around Winter Break. But keeping them in the Aquaponics system a month longer caused them to become less than appetizing.

On January 29, we planted new seeds in our peat pods: a lettuce seed designed just for hydroponics systems, cilantro, basil, spinach, and squash. When the seeds have sprouted to about 3-4 inches long, we will transfer them into the Aquaponics system and start all over again with new, healthy plants!  This time, we'll be sure to harvest our plants before they wilt.



Here is what we wonder:
-Will the different seeds sprout at the same rate?
-Which sprouts will need the most sunlight (so we can place them in the middle of the Aquaponics system)?
-Will the new lettuce seeds really grow better than our first lettuce plants?
-Will having so many different types of plants affect the health of the fish?
-When will the fish lay its eggs?