June Updates from the TP Garden

By Claudia (TP Gardener)

Summer is here. Temperatures are rising, plenty of sunshine, and our vegetable garden is sending out its' rewards. Baskets filled with spinach, radishes, leek, Swiss chard, lettuce, and herbs have made their way into the kitchen, filling our guests dinner plates with delicious, organic produce.

Unfortunately, this is also the time of year where many unwanted critters are crawling or flying in, to sabotage our hard labor and efforts. I am always trying to embrace a more holistic organic philosophy for our gardens by working to create a healthy ecosystem in which plants thrive while pests and disease are held at bay.

Companion planting is a great approach to keep pests under control. For instance, planting onions with lettuce will keep the bunnies away (a fence will do, too), radishes between cucumbers fight off cucumber beetles, tomato plants between asparagus diminishes the invasion of the spotted asparagus beetle.

“Killer Spices” are another great alternative to end pest harassment. Oil extracts of thyme, rosemary, and mint are easy to prepare, and are potent enough to penetrate the brain cell membranes of bugs, which will literary “fry “ their nervous system. Sounds quite cruel, but on a positive note these essential oils also allow for a more fragrant solution of pest control.

And then there is Otto the rooster, our first animated insecticide. Otto arrived with the beginning of our opening season of 2011, made his home in our vegetable garden, and has already been promoted to our new department head for pest control. As he is patrolling the rows of our raised beds, continuously on the move, he picks up bugs and weed seeds with nearly every peck he takes. He seems to enjoy his new territory and assignment; he loves to mingle with our young guests, and sublets his coop to a little chipmunk.

There are many other organic procedures, tricks, and recipes to keep those pesty intruders out of your and our garden. I will make sure to share some more in future updates from The Tyler Place Garden. Until then, “Happy Gardening”.

Let's All Play S.P.U.D.!

With nine separate children's groups we play a lot of games each week and throughout the summer and we want to share some of those with you to play at home or just to warm-up before your Tyler Place vacation.


How to Play:

Spud, not just a hot potato but a game of chance that everyone can enjoy!

You need 3 or more people, a ball and a large playing area free from obstacles.

S.P.U.D is a game that is simple and always a good time. Players are numbered and one person, "it", stands in the middle of everyone else in a circle. The "it" tosses the ball into the air and calls out one number. The person with that number runs into the middle of the circle and catches the ball, becoming the new "it" while the other players run as far away from the circle as possible.

Once "it" catches the ball, he/she yells S.P.U.D at which point players must freeze in one spot. The "it" gets 3 giant steps towards other players and attempts to hit players below the knee. If one is successfully hit, that person becomes the  "it" and the thrower in the middle of the circle. Additionally, that person gets a letter, "S" then "P", etc, until someone gets all four letters to spell S.P.U.D. Any player with "S.P.U.D" is out.

Now Let's Play!