Strawberry Fields Forever...Strawberry Science

Want to read up on Strawberry Science for the 5 - 10 year-old age group?
Look for the book Strawberry by Jennifer Coldrey and George Bernard (1989).

Strawberry has beautiful pictures and easy to read-aloud text and will engage elementary-age children.

Read the Strawberry book while you grow your own strawberries.

Also use a microscope (e.g. a Magiscope) to observe your strawberry plants: flowers, roots, leaves and runners and of course the strawberry fruits in more detail over the weeks.

What do you notice?

• Did you see bees or other pollinators pollinate the blossoms?
• How many petals are there?
• Can you see small strawberries forming from the pollinated flower?
• Where do you think a strawberry seed is?
• Cut a strawberry in half lengthwise, draw and discuss what you see?

• What else happens to the strawberries you don't harvest?
• How many strawberries do you harvest from each plant?
• How are the strawberry plants reproducing (in addition to seeds)?
• Count how many runners grow from one plant.  Can you see root hairs and small plants growing from the runner?

Triple wash your strawberries, and taste test them.

• How would you describe the flavor?
• Do you notice a difference if you planted different varieties?
• If you were a chef - how would you recommend preparing and cooking with strawberries?
• Do you like strawberries

I do!

References: 
Strawberry by Jennifer Coldrey, photographs by George Bernard, published 1989.

Strawberry recipe ideas from Virginia Dept of Agriculture and Consumer Services, thanks to Mackintosh Fruit Farm.
http://www.mackintoshfruitfarm.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/2013_06_03_15_24_50.pdf

See previous two blog posts on Green STEM Learning for strawberry planting and cultivation tips.

'Nanogardens' Sprout Up On The Surface Of A Penny

by MICHAELEEN DOUCLEFF, NPR The Picture Show

May 21, 201312:55 PM

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  Courtesy of Wim Noorduin/Harvard University
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  Courtesy of Wim Noorduin/Harvard University
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  Courtesy of Wim Noorduin/Harvard University
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  Courtesy of Wim Noorduin/Harvard University
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  Courtesy of Wim Noorduin/Harvard University
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  Courtesy of Wim Noorduin/Harvard University
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  Courtesy of Wim Noorduin/Harvard University

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April showers bring May flowers. But in this case, the blossoms are too small for even a bumblebee to see.

Engineers at Harvard University have figured out a way to make microscopic sculptures of roses, tulips and violets, each smaller than a strand of hair.

To get a sense of just how small these flower sculptures are, grab a penny and flip it on its back. Right in the middle of the Lincoln Memorial, you'll see a faint impression of Abraham Lincoln. These roses would make a perfect corsage for the president's jacket lapel.

Growing the gardens is similar to making crystals with a Magic Rock kit.

The flowers sprout up spontaneously when a glass plate is dipped into a beaker filled with silicon and minerals (specifically, barium chloride). Then Wim Noorduin at Harvard coaxes the salts to spiral and swirl into smooth, curvaceous shapes, like vases, leaves and petals.

Enlarge image

Sense Of Scale:Microflower sculptures row in front of the Lincoln Memorial imprinted on the back of a penny.

Courtesy of Wim Noorduin

Click for link to article at NPR

The Art of Growing Radishes...

"Radishes are easy to grow", but often I find growing radishes easier said than done... 
So this year I decide to be more careful in how I  grow radishes.

Growing Radishes

• Prepare the earth - and make sure it is a lightweight mix that the forming radish can push into.
• Sow seeds, not too close at a 2-inch spacing around early April while it is still cool weather.  Or sow a row or two in the fall.
• Rabbit-proof the planting bed - if you have rabbits in your garden.
• Make sure to water your seeds each day through germination and while the seedlings are growing.
• As the seedlings sprout "hill up"a small amount of earth along the rows to cover the forming radish globes.

The simple care seems to do the trick.











One month from planting, I am harvesting a wonderful crop of radishes.
I am picking 5 - 10 radishes each day the last week or so! 









Here is the first radish ever harvested at Arlington Traditional Elementary School (ATS).  It was a magical moment of wonder!

Harvest, Wash and Preparation

• Harvest a bunch of radishes, pull gently by the greens
• Slice off the root tails, and the greens (you can eat young greens)
• Wash the bulbs, and leave the radishes whole as a snack or slice into a salad. 
• Enjoy the peppery flavor, pink and white colors, and crisp crunch of your radishes.

Here's a radish mouse that the ATS catering staff made for Earth Day lunch at school. 
Can you see the clove eyes and radish slice ears?











Last week I came home to find my daughter's chalk art on our patio. 
Radishes are easy to grow - and draw!

Macoto Murayama's Intricate Blueprints of Flowers | Collage of Arts and Sciences

Be amazed by Macoto Murayama's beautiful and "Intricate Blueprints of Flowers" in "automotive engineering style".
...


For more click on Macoto Murayama's Intricate Blueprints of Flowers | Collage of Arts and Sciences

Build a Solar-Powered Birdbath...

It is well known that birds are attracted to water, especially running water. However, most fountains or small ponds require a 120-V electrical pump which is expensive to install, may require permitting, and--if not installed properly--could potentially pose an electrocution danger to humans and wildlife. This article describes a solar-powered alternative you can make yourself.

The design uses readily available parts, and is inexpensive (about $85), easy to maintain, and is relatively simple to build and install.

Find the solar birdbath instructions here:http://bit.ly/13iHUeB

  

Find more resources at
http://chapterservices.audubon.org/chapter-leader-guide/education-resources

Courtesy of Mel Hinton, 

San Diego Audubon Society

A Herb Garden at the Doorstep...

In Greece and other countries, people often grow Basil by the front door of the house - to bring good luck.

Recently I visited several affordable housing complexes with a property developer. Staff and I talk about ways to bring gardening opportunities to residents.  "Why not begin with growing some edible and pickable herbs within easy reach of the office - out there in a pretty pot by the door?" I've been dreaming too: "How about growing something munchable in a pot or two close to the kitchen door - some herbs to graze on, to pick for salads, to flavor my cooking."

As an experiment, I'm making 4 or 5 container mini-gardens or pots full of herbs.

I already grow a selection of mints in a medium-sized pot and an Earthbox.  Mints are shallow-rooted, and grow well in cool temperatures.  Mints can crowd other plants out and grow well alone in confined spaces - like a pot. Mint has the refreshing toothpaste taste, and comes in several kinds and flavors.  Try them and grow your favorites.  As a woman at the apartments told me:  "Nothing is better on a hot day than making tea from your own homegrown mint!"

 

I plant Italian parsley in another small pot - with a saucer. Parsley likes to have water constantly available from below - so I will try to keep the saucer full throughout the summer.

Each of these pots will tell a story, a story about the ecology of the plants, culture and cuisine...

The big resin pot I decide to plant with Mediterranean herbs: lavender, thyme, rosemary and oregano.  These scented herbs thrive in the dry, limestone rocky mountain landscapes that remind me of my childhood in Greece.  To select the herb types I am inspired by Adrian Higgins' article in The Washington Post - and go shop for herbs at DeBaggio's.

To fill the pot I make a quick-draining mix of equal proportions earth, mulch and a bag of 3/8" gravel (you could use chicken grit).

The herbs I buy for this big pot are:

• Golden Lemon Thyme, Thymus x citridorus
• Caraway Thyme, Thymus herba-barona
• Prostrate Rosemary, Rosmarinus officinalis
• French Lavender, Lavendula stoechas 'Mulberry Ruffles'
• Nastursium - Alaska Mixed
• Hot and Spicy Oregano, Origanum "Hot and Spicy'
• Alpine Strawberry, Fragaria vesca
• Dwarf Sage, Salvia officinalis 'Nana'

Here's how to plant.  Take the plant from the pot, tease apart the roots, dig a hole in the soil in your pot, fill with water and put in the plant.  Tamp the soil back around the plant - making sure the plant is neither to deep or too shallow.

I cover the soil with 3/8" pebbles to help drain after rains.

Where's the integrated STEM Learning in growing herbs?

Plan a series of lessons about the senses and observation: one lesson could be about the nose, tongue and taste and scent.  Bring a bunch of triple-washed herbs for each child to try a leaf or two.

• Math: budget the cost of the project, calculate ratios for the earth mix.

• Technology: How are the pots made? How do the pots perform (plastic or resin, unglazed earthernware or glazed pottery)?  How do you water (irrigation, sumps, overhead)?  How do you provide the necessary light and warmth for the herbs to thrive? 

• Science: Observe the weather, the insects and animals around your herb garden.  You will be interested to see what happens over the year. Chemistry: Discover the phytonutrients and chemicals in each herb, research their history, folklore and medicinal uses.

• Engineering: How would you do this better next year?  What tools help?

• Social Studies: Research the global spice and herb trade connections, routes and commerce.  There is Colonial history curriculum about the herbs that were grown in Virginia and used by native Americans, and other herbs that were imported by early settlers from England and the Mediterranean. Celebrate Colonial Days at your school with activities that evoke the C17: From lavender flowers in your garden you can make scented lavender sachets for your closet, and you can mix chopped green herbs like chives and thyme into cream cheese to taste with crackers.

Make some mint tea - and enjoy exploring the herb garden world at your doorstep!

Strawberry Fields Forever....Mulch, Observe and Journal

After a few weeks, the strawberries are growing in both beds and so are the weeds!  I note that in the bed that gets more sun - both weeds and strawberry plants are growing larger than in the shadier bed.

Already there are a few berries forming...

I notice a couple of half-ripe strawberries have been half-eaten by roly-poly's.  I decide to weed and then mulch the earth gaps between the strawberries: perhaps this will help keep down the weeds and keep the strawberry fruit off the earth so that they are less eaten by roly-poly's.  The bird netting is working to keep off the birds! 

"Do the strawberries need straw?"  I post the question to Master Gardeners and get plenty of responses: Some people advise straw in the fall, and then raking back the straw in the spring.  But now is the spring...
A colleague gives me a third of a bale of straw for free!
Another person recommends newspaper - it's cheap and works!
I decide to try - one bed with straw mulching...

and the other one with newspaper mulching.

Observe your own strawberry beds.  What's happening?
Here's some journal entries about strawberries from Arlington Traditional School students.  I'm observing and blogging..  



Next: let's harvest and look at the strawberries in more detail

Strawberry Fields Forever.... Plans, Planting, Protection

Strawberries are fun to grow.  The early varieties cycle with the school year, fruiting in May-June.  And you can bring lots of Green STEM Learning to the art of growing strawberries.

For a lesson on growing strawberries

Let's begin with the story of how the strawberry came to be
Here in Virginia - strawberries, Fragaria virginiana are a native plant, and grow well as a groundcover in part-shade.

Violets and Wild Strawberries - at the Museum of the American Indian DC
(photo Mary Van Dyke)

There is a Cherokee story about the origin of the First Strawberries.  In the Cherokee story, the first man and woman quarrel - and the woman leaves the man in anger.  The sun sends delicious, red juicy berries down to Earth to tempt the woman.  Do you think the strawberry has the power to quell the first woman's anger and make her stay on Earth with the first man?

Find the story of The First Strawberries as a book or as an audio download (References at end of this blog entry). 

Growing Strawberries
Strawberry cultivars are bred and selected for different qualities for human-eating.
Check them out at http://strawberryplants.org/. - and select some cultivars that suit your climate, ecology, timing  and taste...

Grow strawberry plants close together to crowd out weeds.  But if you're growing for prime fruits you may space your plants further apart.  Here comes the math, engineering, technology and science....

Plans
First considerations: What shape and how big is my planting bed?  How many berry plants can I fit in? Are you growing in the ground or in a pot? 
Here I'll show my design for 2 raised beds with internal dimension about 3' 4"  x 6'
Draw out a sketch plan roughly to scale at the recommended planting distance of about one foot per plant.

Or  work the other way round...
If I have 8 strawberry plants to plant in two rows of 4:
How big an area of ground will they need at a one-foot spacing apart?
Sketch it...and make your bed to suit...
How big a planting bed do you need if you space at the recommended distance of two-feet apart?

Planting
Buy strawberry plants.  Prepare soil and plant your strawberry plants following instructions on the pot or at strawberryplants.org

Protection
From experience I know that molds, pillbugs or roly-poly's, slugs, mice, chipmunks, and birds all like to feed on strawberry fruit...
The next step in the design process is how to keep off these predators and pests that (like me) also like to feast on strawberries?

One option might be to plant lots of plants and hope for the best?
But, if you have a small number of plants you're more likely to want to protect them from birds with bird netting, while a farmer with a large crop will not net and will factor in extra plants for bird loss.

If you choose to go with bird-netting - the choice is then "Does it need a support structure - or not?"
I have two beds this year and I am experimenting:
1) In one bed I lay the lightweight bird-proof netting straight over the plants.  And I pin it down the edges of the net with some wooden 2 x 3's.  That works well at the moment.

2) On the second bed, I build a frame out of PVC piping.  This is an easy project for 5th graders and up.  It's like a construction game.  The PVC tube connectors are available in two sorts: 90 degree L's and T's.  There are no 3 way corner connections.
Can you design a cheap and strong frame to fit your bed?  How many legs is it going to have? Have a go and see what structure you come up with.

For this example of the 3' 4" x 6 ' bed.
I decide the frame will be rectangular and stand on four legs, and that the maximum unsupported span of PVC piping will be about 3 or 4 feet. I decide the legs will be about 6 " in the ground and 18" above ground - i.e. 24 inch length.
Here's my cutting list of 1/2 " diameter PVC pipe that is available in 12 foot lengths:
10" #4
24" #4 (legs)
36" #2
48" #2

Can you count the connector pieces I need?  How many T's and L's do I need?
That's right - 4 T's and 4 L's

Next I assemble the frame - this takes about 10 minutes and is very easy as the connectors and tubes twist and push together - no glue is needed and the frame will be demountable at the end of the season.

Put the bird netting over the frame  and secure along bottom edge with loose laid 2 x 3 timbers.

Does this netting work? Does it need a frame to function well?  Time will tell....

Topic Extension
Why do you think this farmer uses hills, black plastic and underground irrigation?
What are the pros and cons of this method of growing that is now called "Plasticulture"
What do you think the standing-pipe sprayer is for?

Picking strawberries at Mackintosh Farm, Berryville VA (Photo by Mary Van Dyke)

Think of some other ways you might grow strawberry plants if you were a farmer?
What problems would you need to solve in each case?
What issues are eliminated or added to the problem of "growing strawberries" design if you hang the strawberries in hanging baskets?  Or grow strawberries in stacked boxes?

Next steps: we look at Strawberry Science close-up, mulching and harvesting...

References:
Native Virginia Strawberries: http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=FRVI
The First Strawberries, retold by Joseph Bruchac and illustrated by Anna Vojtech
The First Strawberries, free audiodownload from Storynory
Strawberryplants.org for information on growing strawberries