Cotton-pickin’, maple-scoutin’

For reasons unbeknownst to all, the growing season in our neck of the woods seems to be plodding along, content to utterly disregard the fact of November. The unseasonable warmth must be making our high tunnels feel neglected, but there is at least one thing around The David School that is surely appreciating it. The cotton that Sister Cathy and her American history class planted in the spring – to provide a truly hands-on experience with a crop that has, for better and worse, defined much of our cultural heritage as a nation – is soaking up every last bit of heat. With the help of some cloth row covers, it’s headed straight for a full (and fluffy) harvest.

Since our October post, what started out as enthusiasm for the idea of making maple syrup has ballooned into a full-on obsession in some of our students (for the record, it started out that way for me). We managed to get a good number of maples tagged with neon flag ribbon while still leafed out, and we’re now learning to identify them by bark and twig. Meanwhile, in the classroom, students in my engineering class are working to design an evaporator shed to make our maple dreams a sweet reality.

Two engineering students scan the horizon for maples.

In the garden itself, fall farming is well underway. The garlic is in the ground and the rye/vetch cover crop mix is germinating, while fall/winter vegetable starts are inside, readying themselves to go out and face the… heat?