Video: See the fun and learning at the Ultimate Schoolyard Garden

The Catawba River District and five partner organizations have coordinated the creation of the Ultimate Schoolyard Garden display at the Southern Spring Home and Garden Show, taking place last weekend and this coming weekend at the Park Expo Center on Independence Boulevard.
The Ultimate Schoolyard Garden features a whopping 18 separate displays within a single 30-by-30-foot exhibit space. Learn about:

• Ozone gardens
• International gardens
• Aquaponics (where fish AND plants share nutrients and water)
• Incorporating bees, goats and chickens into your school's natural area. Rain barrels
• composting
• Inviting wildlife into your outdoor garden area.

Henry Owen with Friendship Gardens put together this video tour of our exhibit. We hope you enjoy it.
Even better, we hope you go to the show, which runs Friday-Sunday at the Park Expo Center on Independence Boulevard. There's nothing like walking through the exhibit and seeing all of this in person!

Show details

See the Ultimate Schoolyard Garden Feb. 28-March 2 at the Southern Spring Home and Garden Show. CLICK for details of the show.

Ultimate Schoolyard Garden is open for visitors!

Visitors line up for aquaponics display

The Southern Spring Home and Garden Show opened on Frday, and visitors were soon streaming through our Ultimate Schoolyard Garden display – checking out the oak-pallet construction, talking with Mecklenburg Beekeeper Association members and watching the tilapia swimming in a tank next to several tiers of hydroponic plants.

We won 2 awards!

Judges at the show were equally impressed. Our display has won two awards!

• The American Horticultural Society Environmental Award: for best demonstration of skillful design that incorporates Environmental Stewardship in the Garden.
• The American Horticultural Society Award: for showng agricultural excellence and demonstrating the best example between horticulture and the environment.

"This is a tribute to our wonderful Southern Spring Show team and 9 months of hard work," said Edna Chirico, who led the Ultimate Schoolyard Garden effort.  "Special appreciation to the LandDesign team for the wonderful design and CPCC Carpentry Teams for hours of hard work, our wonderful Horticulturalists and all the special partners involved in planning, building and now manning this display," she said.

See all of the great displays and enjoy the entire home and garden show, which runs today-Sunday (Feb. 23) and Feb. 28-March 2 at the Park Expo on Independence Boulevard at Briar Creek Road. 

Visit our displays online  >>  http://ultimateschoolyardgarden.org

Get Spring Show Tickets and Info  >>  http://www.southernshows.com/sss/

New date for Green Teacher Network workshop – Feb 15

To accommodate snow day make-up for Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools, the Green Teacher Network has changed the date for the Teacher/Educator workshop from Tuesday, February 18, to Saturday, February 15 – same time (9am to 1pm and same place The Park Expo Center at 800 Briar Creek Road and East Independence Blvd. (next to Bojangles arena ).  CLICK for map and directions.

About the workshop

Ferns for show, growing at CPCC

The program will include a presentation entitled Gardening 201, plus other information and time for everyone to network. We will still be able to accommodate a tour of the Ultimate Schoolyard Garden (under construction).

Cost for the workshop of $10 includes lunch, summary garden guide, classroom tasting kit and other surprises. Capacity for this hands-on workshop is 100 teachers/educators – so please sign up early. 

How to register

To register for this workshop (Continuing Education Credit) and learn more about Green Teacher Network, please to go www.GTNCharlotte.org. Be sure to both register AND pay online through Paypal (credit cards accepted).
For additional information contact Edna Chirico by EMAIL or at 704 562-8847.