Summer 2020 in photos

Where did the year go?

So we haven’t been diligent in updating this blog this year. With the upheaval and ever-changing date of moving into the new building, there just wasn’t much time. Our efforts to keep everyone in the know of our Horticulture Club’s goings on was basically short Tweets on Twitter.

Last fall the greenhouse was kept in survival mode, awaiting a moving date. Luckily, the plants got to stay for the first semester and students had a chance to tend to mature plants and sow some new ones. Very little was done outside at the old building in the fall.

With the move came the realization that we no longer had our beloved greenhouse. With a small grant from the SCDSB Environmental Investment Program (EIP), and fundraised club funds, we purchased a Tower Garden in February. A few hiccups along the way with permissions to plug it in meant we were delayed until after March Break from getting seeds in the rock wool. Once we were fully functional, we set the Tower Garden up in the Library Learning Commons and had much success! We grew daisies, wildflowers, arugula, Bibb lettuce, spinach, and basil. We even had a lunch meeting where we picked our produce and made a salad with it for all to eat! It was super fresh!

Now that summer is here (is it, though?) and the old school is soon to be fenced off, we have managed to move a number of the plants from the old school gardens to the new.  On a rainy Saturday afternoon, Mrs. Cadeau and Mrs. Bumstead moved all of the hostas to the new school – and they are thriving! A week later, Mrs. Beeler and Mrs. Cadeau were back at it moving bleeding hearts and periwinkle. Our hope is to get the tulip bulbs that were planted by the Vimy 2010 students moved over in the next few days. It is so exciting starting fresh with a new space and getting to plan its future!

Enjoy your gardens this summer, but don’t work too hard!

End of the Year Clean Up

At this time of the year, we look to making our front gardens look their best for Grad, and to cleaning out the greenhouse for the summer. We’re doing both of these things each day – take a look at a few of the pics we snapped of what is growing in and outside of GBDSS!

 

 

Victoria Harbour Plant Sale – May 27

Mark your calendars for the annual Plant Sale and BBQ’d Peameal bacon on a bun. Saturday May 27th from 8am – 1pm at St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church, Victoria Harbour. A great selection of perennials for your garden, just in time for spring planting. Inexpensive pricing starting at $1.00. Have a Peameal bacon on a bun while you browse. And if you have any plants you would like to donate, bring them the morning of the sale to add to our collection. We’d be grateful to have them. Hope to see you then!

Tay Blooms Activities

Let’s support our local horticulture clubs!  Tay Township Horticultural Committee is hosting a number of events in the coming months. Why not help out or join an activity?

Students, if you are interested, see Mrs. Bumstead or Mr. Beausoleil so we can organize a group effort. Or, volunteer with Tay or your local horticulture club on your own.

MSS Vesey’s Fall Bulbs Fundraiser

Students now have order forms and colour catalogues for the Fall Bulb Fundraiser – funds will be used to subsidize both the Royal Winter Fair and the Niagara Falls Botanical Gardens field trips.  See a student for details or order through Mrs. Bumstead, in the Library.  Cheques are payable to Midland Secondary School. Orders are due by Friday, October 10, 2014.

Order Form

Royal Winter Fair time again!

MSS is going to the Royal Winter Fair!  Join us on Wednesday, November 12, 2014.  Forms are available from Mrs. Bumstead, in the Library.  The cost of the trip is ONLY $15.00!  Don’t miss out on this amazing trip this fall.

If you wish, you may subsidize your trip by selling Vesey’s bulbs to your friends and family.  See Mrs. Bumstead for a fundraising package.

Gardens are Productive

We see that the farmers’ markets are bursting with produce each week – that’s exciting! Take some time to wander through a market or stop by a roadside vendor – locally grown food can’t get any better!

Horticulture Club selling Vesey’s Spring Bulbs!

The MSS Horticulture Club is selling Vesey’s Spring Bulbs as a fundraiser for the club’s Niagara Falls trip in May.  Orders are due by Thursday, March 6, 2014.  All money must be submitted with orders, to Mrs. Bumstead, by the due date.  Cheques are payable to Midland Secondary School.  Check out the colour flyer to see the variety of offers.  Any questions, please contact Mrs. Bumstead at wbumstead@scdsb.on.ca .  

 

Back in the Greenhouse

Well that was a long 10 days with the greenhouse “out of bounds” for safety reasons. The overhang of snow that was threatening to crash down into the greenhouse from the school roof just melted away quietly over the weekend. Well most of it. Enough to make it safe to go back in. The plants were watered back to health on Tuesday, and barring another crazy blizzard, we should be safe for the rest of the winter. Now it’s just to get used to the view out the windows of the greenhouse – into the snow walls created by the sliding of snow off of the greenhouse!