Our School Garden (2)

There's a pond with fish, and in the spring, ducks usually come to nest here, sometimes with tragic results. (Mysterious hawk attack/bird flu/mother's mercy killing to avoid starvation?) My family had two goldfish that outgrew their tank and put them in this pond. One of them, Cleo, is still alive after 3 years! We have an awesome volunteer, Chris, who maintains this pond for us.

$9.99 in wildflower seeds from John Scheepers. There are 3 beds like this.

I planted an apple tree with my daughter's class. It's a "3-in-One" tree that supposedly will pollinate itself since there are 3 varieties grafted together. You wouldn't think getting approval to have an apple tree planted in a school courtyard would be so hard, but there was lots of resistance to this project.(Someone actually complained that it would attract bees!) Then there was the question of pesticides - we're trying to keep everything organic, but with apple trees it's hard. I found out, though, that there is an organic remedy to just about every problem that can befall an apple tree.

I'd love to give you a tour of this garden if you're ever in Nyack.