Welcome Watering Warriors and Garden Guards! We thank you for your help! Below are some important instructions for your volunteering at the TFES Food Garden. Please check back for updates previous to your signup date.
To help you with your gardening duties, we have created a list with tips for helping with chores in the TFES Food Garden:
IF NEEDED, GARDEN SUPLIES CAN BE FOUND: In the gray chest (shaped like a treasure chest, inside the food garden). There are also long shovels and large tools in the tool shed (next to Food Garden) — Passcode to open storage chest and tool shed: 3333
INSTRUCTIONS FOR VOLUNTEERS were revised on 6.24.24
CHORE 1 – BE A WATERING WARRIOR: Your most important job is watering the Garden. While it’s best to water the garden in the morning/evening, we will take your help any time during the day you signup for! Also, if it rains heavy, you get the day off!
SAVE WATER: Use the rain-barrel when possible to fill buckets/watering cans to water some plants. (Fun to do as a family – kids use cans and adults use hose or vice versa)
HOW TO USE THE GARDEN HOSE SWITCH:
- Turn on the water supply, by going to where the hose is hooked up to the wall. Turn the lever to “ON” (located on the school building, and is visible from TFES Food Garden. – see photo)
- Pull the hose around the garden so sure to not knock over plants when watering!
- Think how rain sprinkles plants lightly, focusing on the roots, using the “shower” setting.
- Use watering as a mindfulness exercise, remembering that you are nourishing the plant so that it can later nourish you! What a beautiful circle of life. Use your 5 Senses: Listen to the nature/birds, look for butterflies/lady bugs, smell the flowers, feel the sunshine, taste the fresh food you helped to grow! How empowering!
- Spend 30-60 seconds on each plant. When starts to puddle, move on! We don’t want sand or soup — plants like nice moist soil.
- Spend extra time watering those potted plants (they dry out quickly)
- When finished, wind the hose back up and place in black container.
- IMPORTANT: TURN OFF THE WATER: Switch to “OFF” for water supply on wall.
CHORE 2 – PULL WEEDS – Check the FOOD Garden wooden edges for grass. DON’T WEED IN GARDEN BEDS (just in case) – PLEASE FOCUS ON THE EDGES!!! There are multiple things growing in each bed, and sometimes we put certain flowers in beds to keep away pests naturally.
Pull and discard weeds in the black trash can in garden or scatter around the field. There are garden gloves in the gray bin for protection – dirty gloves go in the bag, which is attached to the front/inside of the chest.
CHORE 3 – PICK AND HARVEST – The sweetest part is that volunteers are welcome to take home the ripe fruits and vegetables. Please share with us a photo of your crops. Extra points for photos of your family in the garden!
WATERING FRONT OF TFES:
If you signed up specifically to water the TFES Front Gardens, here are instructions:
You can find hose already plugged in at the front of the school. See the map for the front faucet / hose location.
Please turn off the hose faucet and put everything back where you found it. Thank you!!!
HOLD HARMLESS:
By Signing Up to be a Garden Guard, you agree to WAIVER liability and consider working in the TFES Garden at your own risk. Any fruit/vegetables you take home, you consume at your own risk. You agree to hold harmless Upper Dublin School District, Thomas Fitzwater Elementary, its staff, Garden Club Leaders and its volunteers.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION / HOW TO COMMUNICATE:
We will keep updated Garden Guard instructions here. Please also check your texts the day before so we can advise you if there is a special task you can help with. Or if for some reason we don’t need your help that day — When it rains heavily that day, you can assume it will be canceled. Also, call/text Tracy Nyszczot if you need to cancel 215-219-4803 or we would appreciate it if you can have a friend cover your spot.
QUESTIONS:
For immediate concerns, call/text Mrs Tracy Nyszczot, (215) 219-4803, or Email: TFESgardenClub@gmail.com (emails may take 48 hours to reply)
TFES GARDEN CLUB 