It's Potato Planting Time!

At the very back of our half acre property, we have a large vegetable garden and pumpkin patch.  Each year the children help prepare the garden for planting and plant vegetables.   This year's mild winter, coupled with a warm spring, meant that we were able to get into our garden earlier than usual.  During the second week of May, the children planted seed potatoes in our back garden.

Here is our bag of seed potatoes.  Although they look like the potatoes you buy at the grocery store, seed potatoes are grown specifically for the production of potatoes and are as disease free as possible.

Each child was able to place a seed potato in our garden.

Our vegetable garden is at the very end of our second playground, affectionately known as the 'soccer field'.  Each day the children check on the progress of the potato plants. 

Here are some children from the full day class checking on the potato plants.

Here is a picture of our very healthy potato plants taken at the beginning of June.

The potato plants will continue to grow throughout the summer and will be ready to be harvested in the fall. 

Digging the potatoes out of our garden in September is one of the very first things we do when school begins.  It is a lovely way to bring our new Montessori community together as returning students and new students join together to experience the earth's harvest.