Learning the Basics

This week we went to Menci’s house to view his garden that he used to grow food. Among the edible plants he grew were beans, artichoke, strawberries, and cherries. While we were there we discovered that when he was growing new plants he would sew the ground, get it moist, then cover it with dry leaves and sticks as a make shift mulch to retain the moisture until the plant would sprout. Beyond the things he grew for food he had some beautiful flowers, my favorite was his lilies. Also while we were there we learned about a plants reproductive system while looking at his lime tree. We were able to observe the stamen and pistol. We also saw a lime beginning to form and that was pretty neat. Also a fun random thing I discovered was this plant that has a round umbel structure that I have been trying to figure out for years is called a Hoya. We also walked through the court yard and learned about the plants. We geraniums, pansies, begonias, petunias, and star jasmine. Walking around town we have seen poppies and some wheat. We have been learning so much from this trip and I now have an appreciation when walking down the road and I am able to identify certain flowers.

- Colton Bausch