As I understand it, part of the garden tour on Earth Week will involve having students plant peas and potatoes in the ground. Here are some instructions for planting:
The peas will be planted in the East Box, between the two tall poles. Just push them into the ground about 1.5 cm deep. Gently pat down the soil. I have already put some mushroom manure in the area, so that should help them grow. Easy peasy.
If it is raining, you can choose whether or not to plant potatoes, but it probably isn't a good idea. If you want to plant potatoes, first test the soil by squeezing some in your hand. If it crumbles, the soil is OK to dig. If it forms a ball, do not do any digging, as it will harm the soil structure, causing hardened balls of soil to form.
The potatoes will be planted in a row in the East Box, along its West side. The row will run North/South from the hose container to the kale, parallel to the row of peas. The potatoes should be planted about 20-30 cm from the edge.
To plant a potato, dig a hole about 30 cm deep. Sprinkle a small amount of bone meal into the hole and lightly mix it around. Place the potato with the shoots facing upwards (the shoots will become new plants). Bury the potato, and lightly pat the soil. The potatoes should be spaced about 30 cm from each other. Don't put more than one potato in the same place.
In a few weeks, the potato plants will pop out from the ground...when they do, it is time to plant pole beans!
Here is some detailed background information if you are interested.
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