Stone Mountain Community Garden Tour

We first gathered at the Park's gazebo. Mr. Brown, our tour guide, is a master gardener. After introductions were made Mr. Brown asked each student what they were looking forward to.

Mr. Brown also used that time at the gazebo to explain the expectations of the day. We would take a tour of the garden, plant food and stay far away from the ants.

He also let us sample some asparagus and strawberries picked that morning from the Stone Mountain Community Garden (SMCG).

Our tour began:

Growing on the Garden's peripheral are wild flowers.

Just inside the wild flower area, as Mr. Brown, explained are food and herbs growing for the Stone Mountain Food Pantry.

Each child got a chance to snip a piece of buckwheat.

Buckwheat.

The herb garden was our favorite place to be. We got to smell rosemary.

Tasting mint, oregano and lemon thyme.

We observed budding blueberry and blackberry bushes.

The watermelon patch was not prepared yet for planting so we moved past the patch and talked about the buckwheat garden and learned about how flour is made.

There were people coming in and out of the Garden while we were there. Mr. Brown explained that the interior garden plots were for individual gardeners. He showed us what was growing in his garden.

Sampling lettuce from Mr Brown's garden.

Mr. Brown's lavender garden is tied for the best place we liked to be. Our students love the lavender smells.

SMCG gardeners do not use pesticides and control some beetles using grits. Mr Brown told us that grits were dropped so certain beetles would eat the grits instead of the plants.

Touring the outer rim of the SMCG Mr. Brown displayed rows of tomatoes that were near the rows of potatoes. We observed the similarities and differences.

Planting sweet potato plants for the Pantry.

Adding, spreading and smoothing new soil in the garden.