Comparison of Pumpkin Plants

July 28, 2017

Augst 18, 2017

Sept 1, 2017

August 2017 Hottest on Record

In what has become a common refrain this year, last month ranked as the hottest August on record, according to NASA data released Monday. Not only that, but the month tied July as the hottest month the world has seen in the last 136 years.

This past Friday, Sept 1 the mercury hit 110 in Upland providing a scare to our pumpkin patch. The CCP students were on site to double the water regiment and provide some additional water that day.
  Read More....Record

NASA Graph

Mean while inside the classroom.............

While the garden was being constructed outside for the pumpkins I decided to build a hydroponic system inside my classroom to get things growing to put into the garden later in the year. I concentrated on two types of systems, Dutch buckets, and a float system.

Dutch Bucket System:

Recirculating irrigation. The more conservative drainage option is to run your Dutch buckets on a recirculating system. In a recirculating system, thebuckets are irrigated and drain into a return line, a PVC line at a tilt that brings water back to the reservoir for reuse.

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Float System:

Plants are planted into trays (usually styrofoam or plastic) that float on the water. The roots hang down into the water that contains nutrients). I elected to go with the Kra

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It all started with a request.........

Near the end of the 2016-2017 school year, our Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Nancy Kelly asked if we (HHS)  would be interested in planting a pumpkin patch on the Hillside High campus. A discussion between Mrs. Haver and myself ensued.  I decided to take on the task with the help of some Cal Poly Pomona student interns that the UUSD was using. After a visit to the L.A. County Fair Farm in late May by HHS, I was convinced we could do it.  We each planted approximately 50 pumpkin seeds in early July.   Later in July, we began building a garden area to plant the germinated seeds. An area at the back of the lawn of HHS was selected because there had been an existing garden therefrom the 2009 school year. Upland facility folks moved the existing broken concrete forms and cleared the area. The garden was completed on July 28th with the much-appreciated help from the Upland USD facilities.

The CPP students had 20 cubic yards of soil donated from Wulfenbacher's.

 Approx. 100  pumpkin plants were planted in the new garden area.

Let the Journey Begin...........

Here is what the area looked like before the construction began!

The area was a garden that I had started with students in 2008, I believe. The financial crises began sometime around there and funding dried up, as did the garden.

These benches were moved by facilities and placed on the north side of the field next to the grass volleyball court.